


Free Fall

by Ein_Nachkussen



Series: Skyrider [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M, Mystery, Sequel, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-10-25 07:59:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10760064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ein_Nachkussen/pseuds/Ein_Nachkussen
Summary: Right when life was returning to normal for Agent Arthur Kirkland, the memories he left behind during his mission to America come back to haunt him.When a kidnapped CIA agent appears in London, Arthur must confront the man he left heartbroken in America, and solve this new mystery. This time, the threat is much larger than anyone expected, and so the Agents of MI5 and the CIA must work together before the entire city of London is doomed to chaos.





	1. Chapter 1

When Arthur returned to London, he had hoped that things would return to normal someday. He hoped that his guilt would lose its strength and that he could regain his ability to sleep peacefully at night. However, Arthur was not surprised to learn that he had no such luck.

It has been just over a year since the mission in America, and he still struggled to justify himself, he left a man broken-hearted after the death of his best friend: what a monster. What a jerk.

As Arthur came to manage himself and anxieties better, the more rational he became and the more mistakes he noticed within his memories that were bad enough to keep him up at night. He found himself looking back more and thinking ‘I should not have said that’ or ‘I should have said something.’ But the worst one of all was: ‘I should have told him.’   He regretted everything he did to Alfred, but back then: Arthur was not in a good place, he did not understand what was going on in his head and how devastating it was to his mental health. Arthur did not take his own feelings seriously enough. He was selfish. Now Alfred must not only be over the Englishman, but loathe him completely. Arthur cringed whenever he thought about it: he did not give Alfred the courtesy of a ‘thank you’ or even a ‘goodbye’.

Arthur hated what he did; he refuses to believe that he was thinking clearly back then, his mind was clouded by grief and anxiety. He has grown so much more, he was better prepared and thinking more clearly. He replays conversations again in his head, and theorises what would have happened had he been honest with Alfred, and had he swallowed his pride and told Alfred of his struggles. Maybe if he knew the truth, Alfred would not have been so hurt.

But then … Arthur knew that no matter how honest he was about his feelings, nothing could have been able to soften the blow of Matthew’s death. Arthur gave Alfred no say; he deceived him and let Matthew die. He left Matthew alone in the school building without a proper fight, Arthur should have stayed, and he should have tried harder to convince Matthew to come with him, even if Matthew refused to move: he could have tried. Arthur could not deny that Matthew’s sacrifice was brave and saved lives, but… the fact that he had to trick Alfred…

Alfred must hate Arthur’s guts right now. Arthur could not rationalise Alfred feeling anything other than absolute loathing for Arthur and what he did, to his heart and to Matthew.

However, some normality returned when Arthur returned to work, London had not changed in the slightest since he had been gone and Arthur was still in high demand.  

Although, the city did seem quieter with the absence of Francis Bonnefoy; his group had completely disbanded, with many members getting caught by police or fled back to France. All of them had been told that Francis was collecting his son, and then would bring him to London, before moving back to France for a quieter life. Arthur couldn’t help but wonder how that plan would have gone had the CIA not interfered. Would Matthew have accepted that, or would have he tried to escape his own father?

Arthur had been working closely with Gilbert ever since his return. They worked on cases together and conducted investigations, and so far, things have been going well for them. They worked well together. As Arthur came to know Gilbert, the more he learned how similar he and Ludwig were; they both took pride in their work and were proud leaders. Traits that Arthur couldn’t help but admire. Although: Gilbert did talk a lot more than Ludwig.

Currently, Arthur and Gilbert were hunting someone down, not a kidnapped diplomat or minister, but an assassin. Word had spread throughout London that a veteran killer-for-hire had returned to London, and was actively seeking work. As soon as they received the tip-off, Arthur and Gilbert knew that they had to act immediately, before the assassin finds work.

The assassin they were hunting was deemed as a dangerous threat to society, and had been under investigation by not only MI5, but Scotland Yard and the metropolitan police force. He had been linked with dozens of murders and assassinations over a twenty-year period, and it is about time that his reign of terror was brought to an end. Police in Europe confirmed that he had indeed left the European continent, and passed all of their information onto Arthur and Gilbert, as long as a wish for good luck.

Within a month of their investigation, Arthur and Gilbert have found security footage to prove that their suspect had indeed returned to London, and testimonies from MI5 informants confirmed that he was looking for illegal work, in particular: assassinations. If Arthur and Gilbert didn’t catch him quickly: someone was going to be killed.

The harder the pair worked, the more information they uncovered, and to their disappointment, they discovered that the killer has been hired. Their informants alerted them to the fact that the killer has suddenly stopped advertising his availability; which could only mean the worst.

Now that they were aware of their time limit, they knew that they had to push themselves. They worked later, pushed suspects harder, and pestered their informants mercilessly for more information.

Finally, they have received results: a lead. Metropolitan police confirmed a sighting of the wanted man around East London. It wasn’t long before he was tracked down again, making a booking to a small hotel on the corner of two busy roads. Gilbert and Arthur rushed into action, realising that the assassin has chosen his stake-out place.

Acting quickly, Arthur and Gilbert obtained a warrant to search the building and made their way to the hotel, determined to end this case and arrest the assassin before he can kill anyone else. Armed with small handguns and bullet-proof vests, Arthur and Gilbert stalked the brightly light hallways of the Old-English themed hotel, remaining as quiet as mice. All guests, other than the assassin, have been advised by staff to remain in their rooms for the duration of the investigation.

The traditionally English hotel was decorated with red elaborately designed carpet, with cream coloured walls and decorated with portraits. The thick carpet silenced the agents’ footsteps as they made their way down the silent and long hallway. Arthur felt as though this hallway could have gone on forever, no matter how far they travelled; the portrait of Queen Victoria at the end of the hallway did not seem to get any closer.  

Arthur felt his heart race as they came to the door labelled 24A, the room of the suspect. Arthur and Gilbert froze before the door, rehearsing the procedure in their head: it would be a public relations disaster if they stormed the wrong room. Tabloids would eat up that story like a Sunday roast.

Gilbert took no chances, he kicked the door open and he and Arthur charged in, with their handguns at the ready.

_“MI5, PUT YOUR HANDS UP!”_

The hotel room was in a state of utter chaos, clothing and empty packets of snacks were scattered around the room, obviously whoever has been staking out here had been here for a long time. Immediately, Arthur spotted movement on the balcony, which was the only source of light into the small hotel room.

Gilbert made it to the balcony first, and grabbed a figure dressed in black clothing. The small balcony had a rather impressive gun assembled on the floor, next to a tripod; Arthur instantly knew that they had found their man.

“Put your hands behind your back, Edelstein, don’t make this difficult!!” Gilbert snapped as he took out his handcuffs. Arthur checked the bathroom for any other people as Gilbert dragged the handcuffed assassin into the hotel room.

It had been years since Arthur had seen the assassin face-to-face. Time had been kind to Roderich Edelstein; the Austrian stared at Arthur as Gilbert escorted him past. He stared at Arthur with his piercing dark eyes behind his thin rectangular frames. Despite the condition of his hotel room, the man looked clean and pristine, without one dark hair out of place.

Roderich scowled as he passed Arthur, “it’s been a long time, gentlemen.” Roderich hissed as Gilbert pushed him forward, rushing him out of the hotel room, _“Easy!”_

“You fucked up back, coming back to London,” Gilbert chuckled as he and Arthur escorted Roderich down the hallway of the hotel, the Austrian was not putting up a fight, he was not trying to run away; he knew when something was not worth the fight. But Arthur knew that Roderich had reason to be comfortable, previous attempts to convict him have ended disastrously, with Roderich only receiving minimum sentences. Perhaps he had friends in high places. However, because of the evidence Arthur and Gilbert collected, Arthur doubted that the Austrian would be able to get away with a light conviction this time…

Of course, Roderich refused to speak to police; however, Arthur knew that it wouldn’t be long until the police knew who had hired Roderich and who the intended victim was. For MI5 at least, the case was closed and they could return to the MI5 headquarters, and made their way to the elevator, making their way to the fourteenth floor.

“Arthur, there’s been something going on in America that I need to tell you,” Gilbert sighed, placing his hands into his pockets, like bringing up the topic was painful for him. “And because of how involved you got with the people there, I think you deserve to know.”

 _Oh God,_ Arthur thought, watching nervously as the elevator slowly reached their level. He didn’t want to know what was going on there, especially if it had anything to do with Alfred. He couldn’t take it.

“It’s… It’s ok,” Arthur stuttered, cutting Gilbert off. “I’m trying to move on from it.”

Arthur felt dizzy as he tried to figure out what Gilbert was talking about, could it really be something about Alfred….? Gilbert _is_ Ludwig’s brother, and they talk a lot, what if it has something to do with him, or Feliciano?

Arthur rushed out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened to their level, revealing a couple of desks with computers, and very few people wandering around the office, with one door to private offices on each wall, one of which was Arthurs, and the other was Gilberts, whilst the third belonged to another agent.

Yao was sitting at the computer in the middle of the room, he tilted his head to look past the computer screen and see Arthur and Gilbert exit from the elevator.

“But Arthur, it’s really important.” Gilbert grumbled, slowly losing his patience.

“Gilbert, something came in the mail for our particular floor, it’s an unmarked envelope!” Yao explained, waving a paper envelope in the air for Gilbert to take.

“Welcome back, Yao,” Gilbert murmured as he took the envelope and inspected it, “How was America?”

Arthur had forgotten, Yao had been on holidays in America over the past few weeks, he only returned to work today. Arthur did not want to know anything about the trip; he was only staying around to find out what was in the envelope.

“It was great, I caught up with a lot of friends, great place over there,” Yao explained, “the people are really nice too.”  

Gilbert finally pulled a small memory stick out of the envelope, and Arthur instantly froze. The last time any organisation received a memory stick from anonymous mail, it was terrible news… Gilbert quickly handed the memory stick to Yao who plugged it in to his computer, only to see the files open to reveal only one video file.

 _“No…”_ Arthur gasped, his body trembling as visions of Matthew tied to a chair and beaten returned to his mind, if his video was of Matthew again, he was going to be sick.

 _“Play it,”_ Gilbert ordered, his voice sounding as shaken as Arthur felt. “This can’t be happening.”

Arthur couldn’t believe what he was seeing, nor the shocked noise that came out of Gilbert once the video started to play. The footage focussed on a figure, with the frame only allowing room to show only what was above his shoulders. The person was tilting slightly to his side, like he was disorientated; his warm coloured eyes looked around the room behind the camera, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings and the situation he was in. His mouth was covered by a thick cloth. Arthur stumbled backwards as he felt the world spin around him, he didn’t want to see it, he didn’t want to believe that it was real, but he couldn’t stop himself from looking.

Gilbert whimpered, “Feli… _Oh God…”_

Suddenly red text appeared at the bottom of the screen:

 _“Feliciano Vargas, special Agent of the CIA. We show you this footage as proof of life, and proof of capture._  
_Yes, we intended for this to go to the MI5, to inform you that Agent Vargas is indeed in London._  
Await a second video, of which will have our demands.  
Let the Game begin.”

“FUCK!!” Gilbert snapped, immediately taking his phone out of his pocket, “I need to call Ludwig, _NOW!”_ On his way to his office, Gilbert passed Arthur, “If you had listened to me, I would have told you that Feliciano has gone missing.” Gilbert sighed before making his way to his office, “At least we know where he is now…”

“Oh? This is THE Feliciano Vargas? A CIA operative captive in London. Would that mean the CIA would have to come here?” Yao asked, Arthur didn’t reply, but closed his eyes and prayed that this was all a bad dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur couldn’t believe it, he refused to believe it, his face remained frozen as he stepped backward, slowly moving towards Gilberts office, where the German was pacing around, talking on the phone to Ludwig. Arthur could still perfectly picture Feliciano’s tired and weak eyes, gazing around the room as he slowly pulled himself out of a no doubt drug-induced sleep. Arthur could only wonder what waited for him on the other side of the camera, or what has happened to him since the filming of the video. How long has it been since it was filmed?

What worried Arthur the most was the fact that this was clearly intended for Gilbert to see, someone knew that Feliciano was known here, that there was an important emotional link between particular agents in MI5 and the CIA. Feliciano was brought to London for a purpose.

“No, Ludwig, it’s him, there’s no mistaking it,” Gilbert sighed; Arthur turned around and stared into Gilberts office, seeing the German lean against the wooden desk, with his back to Arthur. “I’m sorry. He’s in London; you need to get here _now…._ Ich weiβ… Es ist ihm, kommen nach London, Ludwig. Hey! Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle everything here, just get here as soon as you can… Ludwig, I promise it’s him… I’m sorry… I’ll talk to you tonight. Tschuss.” Gilbert sighed deeply as he hung up the phone, before walking around his desk and falling into his black leather desk chair, _“Fuuuck!”_

“How did he take it?” Arthur asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Not good. He’s already feeling terrible.” Gilbert admitted, “He’s been a mess ever since Feli went missing, he can barely function without the guy.” 

“How close are they?” Arthur asked.

Despite the stress of the situation, Gilbert still cracked a smile, “I’m sure you could guess what kind of relationship they have. I don’t know if you got _vibes_ while you were over there.”

“I can’t sense other gay people, you prat,” Arthur spat, Gilbert was the only person at his work who knew of Arthurs sexual preference, considering that they had been working together for so long. Gilbert was one of the few people, other than Allistor, who was on good enough terms to talk with Arthur about it. “And no, I didn’t know; they were conservative at work. But nonetheless; it’s safe with me.”

“Hm, Ludwig also told me about an Agent that had a crush on you... and how it turned out…” Gilbert admitted as he placed his elbows on his desk, leaning forward with intrigue. “Feli and Ludwig were very worried about you.”

“Look, all I can say is that I wasn’t in a good state of mind the entire time I was there. I do hate how it ended but…” Arthur sighed, scratching the back of his head as he frowned, trying to think about what he could say next. But nothing good enough came out, so he just stood there in silence, staring at the floor.

“And that’s not your fault, I’m sure that the guy would get that if you told him,” Gilbert added.

“I can’t, it’s been too long, it will just reopen an old wound for the both of us. Besides, I’m sure that he’d want nothing to do with me anyways,” Arthur spat, his face becoming red the more he thought about it, the more he thought about how he let Alfred down so many times… there is no way the American would be willing to talk to him. “Never mind. What should I do for now?”

“Inform Kiku of everything the second he arrives, all of us are going to be dedicated to this task. Clear your calendar, Arthur: this is going to be a long one. Heh… I’m running a fucking Agent exchange program.”

Arthur sighed as he walked from Gilbert’s office, passing Yao along the way. “They mentioned another video, I’ll organise for surveillance of our mail. I don’t think dusting the envelope it came in will offer any help.”

“No, I don’t think it’d be worth it. But I guess we can ask Kiku if he can arrange it with the forensics department,” Arthur pointed out, “We may as well start the investigation soon, before Ludwig comes.”

“Heh, I’m finally going to meet Gilbert’s little brother,” Yao murmured. Arthur frowned; he didn’t know that Yao had known about Ludwig. But then again, Gilbert speaks about Ludwig as though he were a perfect child.  Gilbert was so proud of Ludwig and all that he had achieved, Arthur wouldn’t be surprised if Yao had heard this conversation.

Hours later, Arthur walked past the door to Gilbert’s office, hearing Gilbert talk in German, probably speaking to Ludwig again, organising how Ludwig was going to come to London. This had Arthur thinking, would only Ludwig come, or would Alfred come too? _Oh God,_ if Alfred came… Within the hour, Arthur was informed that Ludwig would be arriving in London tomorrow afternoon, where the full investigation would formally begin.

Arthur spent the rest of his working day pondering over this possibility. If Alfred came to London, Arthur knew that he would have to face him again…

The idea of it made Arthur’s heart race, despite how hard he tried to rationalise: he went to America alone, so therefore: it would be normal if Ludwig came alone. Right? But then again, Allistor was supposed to come to Washington as well…

No, there’s no way, Ludwig would come alone, he wouldn’t bring Alfred with him, besides, and Alfred probably wouldn’t come with him if he had the choice. He must hate Arthur, he must! 

Arthur could not sleep that night, thoughts of his memories, as well as the video of Feliciano kept him from relaxing enough to fall asleep. He lay on his back in the centre of his double-bed as he stared blankly at the ceiling, completely accepting of the fact that he was not going to sleep well tonight. He could feel the warmth of his cat, which slept against his thigh. Arthur reached down and softly scratched the fur on the cat’s head, happy to feel Charlie lift his head, making it easier for Arthur to pat him; the sweet little cat always loved receiving attention.

Despite everything, Arthur’s heart still raced when he thought about the way that Alfred looked at him… Arthur would be an idiot in denial if he didn’t admit that he still found Alfred dreadfully attractive, and that he made Arthur feel weak at the knees.

No, Arthur had to stop thinking about it; he was pulling himself into a trap. Nothing is going to happen between them, and Arthur feels terrible about it: it’s time to move on.

Perhaps he could even tell Ludwig to tell Alfred that he’s sorry, maybe then Arthur can use that as a way to tell Alfred...

\----

Arthur arrived to work feeling numb and tired, estimating that he probably got less than two hours of sleep that night. His anxiety levels were through the roof. He even swapped his morning tea for coffee just so he could cope for the day, but now it just feels like a waste of energy. On top of that, he arrived late, Gilbert looked at him with relief when the elevator doors opened and Arthur stepped out, as though he was thinking that Arthur had gone missing as well.

His sour mood must have been obvious; no one spoke to him for longer than five minutes before he barricaded himself into his office. He sat as his desk chair, feeling his shoulders drop as he finally relaxed his tense stance. Four hours left until Ludwig’s plane lands, and then they can formally start this thing.

Arthur started to create a plan, a plan for the investigation to follow; he created a detailed list of tasks that needed completing, places to visit and suspects to interview. Sadly, this was the shortest list Arthur had made in his entire career. There was hardly any information to go on, the kidnapper hasn’t shown themselves, no revealed from where or why he was taken. The entire investigation is on hold before it can even properly begin.

Poor Feliciano, Arthur could only wonder what he could be going through at that moment, what if they’ve hurt him?

Out of everyone that Arthur knew, Feliciano was the one who deserved this least; he was kind to Arthur and everyone around him. Arthur still thinks about how the mood of the office in Washington would change the second Feliciano entered the room; the man was like a ray of sunshine. Arthur vowed then that he was going to find Feliciano and no matter what: he was not going to allow this investigation to end like Matthew’s. 

A commotion begun outside of Arthur’s office, and he instantly knew what it was, Ludwig has arrived. With good manners in mind, Arthur rose from his chair and straightened his suit before walking out of his office. Instantly, the taller German’s bright blonde hair caught Arthur’s attention, and he knew that he was correct. Putting on the most genuine smile he could, Arthur walked over to the small group that had formed around Yao’s desk, so far only Gilbert, Ludwig, Kiku and Yao stood by, talking to Ludwig. It wasn’t until Arthur got closer did he realise that Ludwig wasn’t alone. All of Arthurs rationalising had been for nothing: he was wrong.

Alfred’s eyes instantly caught his, and widened as though he were a deer in headlights. The Americans shoulders tensed as he sucked in a deep breath, obviously he hadn’t emotionally prepared himself well enough either. Arthur could feel his heart beat through his throat as he sucked in another breath, slowly processing the sight of Alfred.

In the short period of time that they had been apart, so much had already changed about Alfred, from the way he stood, all the way to the shade of his hair. It was as though Alfred had aged into a grown man during their time apart. His hair was no longer pure gold, but a dirtier blonde, his eyes were narrower, and even his arms had gained more muscle, so much so that Arthur could see the shape of his triceps through his suit.  Arthur was stunned under the power of Alfred’s harsh stare, like no optimism remained within the American, and the sight of Arthur only served to bring back memories.

Whilst Ludwig smiled at Arthur and greeted him and shook his hand. “It’s been a while, how are you?”

“Better…” Arthur admitted, trying his best to keep his eyes on Ludwig, despite how hard they wanted to drift back onto Alfred. Ludwig gave Alfred a harsh look, prompting the American to reach out to Arthur and shake his hand. Alfred’s grip had gotten so strong; Arthur was scared that it would leave a bruise.

“Hey.” 

Oh God, even his voice had gotten deeper, it was like Alfred had gone through a second and more intense puberty, all in the space of a year. “Hello.”

Alfred and Arthurs eye contact remained for several more seconds, before pulling away to focus on the conversation at hand.

Arthur was paranoid that he looked like he was sweating, he felt as though he had just been thrown into an oven. He fought the urge to look back at Alfred, it was driving him crazy. A cocktail of excitement, anxiety and dread pooled within the pits of his stomach, was he going to be sick?  Alfred had come, despite all of his rationalising; Arthur had been literally thrown under a bus: why did Gilbert not tell him that Alfred was coming too!? He could have been more emotionally prepared! But then again, no amount of preparation could have made it any easier for him to face the man he left heartbroken in America.  

“Now, let’s work on getting Feli back,” Gilbert announced, before looking to Ludwig and Alfred, “you two come with me, we still have somethings to sort out.”

Ludwig and Alfred nodded as people began to spread out, except for Arthur who remained where he stood, still unable to move his legs as he watched Ludwig pass him, and Alfred following close behind.

Arthur couldn’t resist it, “Alfred—“

“Don’t,” Alfred whispered, his voice cracking slightly, like he was fighting back himself. Quickly Alfred passed him and followed Ludwig into Gilbert’s office, where the door was closed behind them.

He supposed that he was right in assuming that Alfred would harbour harsh feelings towards him, but Arthur hadn’t prepared himself for how painful it actually was going to be to be confronted by it.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur had to hold his head up high, and continue the investigation as though the man whose heart he broke wasn’t staring directly at him, those intense blue eyes staring right through Arthur’s eyes and into his soul. Arthur could tell that Alfred was having a hard time too, he wasn’t as bubbly or energetic as he was when Arthur first met him: perhaps he has matured too…

Arthur could feel Alfred’s eyes on him; he knew that the American was thinking about their current situation as much as Arthur was. Perhaps it was keeping Alfred up at night as well. Arthur couldn’t help but wonder where their relationship would be now if Arthur had been honest with him. Would they still be together now, or would have their relationship already have broken? Surely, it would have been difficult, there was no avoiding Arthur returning to London… but could have they made it work…?

If Arthur could go back in time, he would have taken that chance; he would have been honest with Alfred. He would have trusted the American with his woes and nightmares, he would have understood that seeing Alfred die in his dream did not mean that Arthur was eternally cursed... Arthur was not healthy-minded while he was in America; he had not learned how to cope better with his demons… His demons defied how he felt about himself. But in the end, time vanquished a lot of power that the demons had. Granted, he still has nightmare, and he still has days where he wishes he had died… but he keeps on living, which is the best that he can do. It is what Allistor would have wanted.

And he wants Alfred to understand that. However, there was a mystery to be solved.

“I got an email from the DC police department,” Alfred explained as he set his laptop down on Gilbert’s desk, angling it so both German brothers, Kiku and Arthur could see the screen. “It was handed in by the owner of a Greek Deli in downtown DC; it was captured on the stores outdoor security cameras. As soon as the owner of the store saw the footage a couple of days ago; they handed it over to police, hoping to solve a crime. The footage was handed over to me when the police recognised him…”

Arthur watched Alfred bite his lips as he clicked play on the clip, revealing colourless footage of an inner-city street. It must have been early in the evening, as there was still light coming from the sky. The street was empty, except for a couple of parked cars that lined the street. The opposite side of the road was lined with more shops, which had closed for the day. Everything looked normal until a walking figure came into view. He was a slender man, dressed in a coat, carrying with him a couple of plastic bags, no doubt having just done some grocery shopping.

Arthur heard Ludwig’s small gasp when he recognised him, “Feli…”

Alfred sighed deeply, obviously struggling to keep himself quiet; however, Arthur couldn’t look up at him, for a car drove down the street and parked in a space that Feliciano had just walked by.

“Brace yourselves, here’s the hard bit,” Alfred grimaced, his voice shaking.

When the car parked, Feliciano did notice the car, however; naturally he thought that there was nothing suspicious about it and continued walking. Not seeing two figures creep around the side of the car, using the other cars that were parked on the street as cover. They were dressed completely in black, and ski masks hid their identities. They quickly caught up to Feliciano. One jumped in front of him as the other grabbed him from behind.

In the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed Ludwig flinch, and Gilbert wrap his arm over his little brother’s shoulders, taking a deep breath himself.

Naturally, Feliciano fought back, he delivered a kick to the attacker in front of him, sending them falling onto the hood of a parked car. He fought against the grip of the second one, elbowing them in the stomach before pushing himself out of their grip, even losing his coat in the struggle. Now it was clearer that it was Feliciano. He tried to run; however, the attacker who fell onto the car tripped Feliciano over, and jumped onto the Italian’s back before he could run. Then the two attackers pinned him down as they pressed a cloth over Feliciano’s face. The attackers were barely managing to keep Feliciano still, and he almost pushed them off a couple of times, the small man must be a lot stronger than he looks. However, sadly, in the end Feliciano’s legs stopped twitching, and his fight was over. And as quickly as they appeared, the duo dragged Feliciano into their car, before disappearing out of the view of the security camera.

“We… are looking for three or more suspects. Two who performed the kidnapping, and the driver...” Alfred sighed, his cheeks burning red and his eyes tearing, “at least we know that Feli put up a good fight, and he knows that we’re coming for him.”

Ludwig sighed as his head fell into his hands, his shoulders trembled as he spoke, “Good job, Alfred.”

“Arthur,” Gilbert said, catching the Brit’s attention, “I suggest you go through with everyone what today’s objectives are.

“Right,” Arthur murmured, “as you can imagine, we are in a tough place because of the lack of evidence, but I have managed to build something of a plan. It will grow as we get more information.”

While Gilbert was the leading officer in the investigation, Arthur was still in charge of planning. But yet, he still had so little to work with, before he could even get started on explaining the day’s objectives, Yao came running across the office, barging into Gilbert’s office, holding memory stick. Instantly, Arthur’s heart sunk when he realised what that would mean. 

“This arrived in today’s mail!” Yao announced, as he dashed around the desk to his computer, with the fellow agents following him and gathering around behind his chair.

“It can’t be another one, can it?” Kiku asked, looking over at Arthur, “We only just got the first one a week ago. How fast are they acting?”

“If this is…” Arthur whispered, knowing that their investigation would have completely kicked off. Hopefully this offers them more information.

The video started like the last, focussing on Feliciano’s face, however, it does look like his condition has improved. He’s perfectly conscious, and even talking, but the sound has been muted. He looked like he was yelling, or arguing, he did not look aware that the camera was rolling, as he was speaking to the people behind the camera.

However, something changed as Feliciano’s warm amber eyes finally met with the camera lenses, and his demeanour changed completely, now he looked terrified.

 _‘As you can see, Agent Vargas is alive and unharmed, so far.’_ Red text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

 _‘How dare you take our friend from us, our comrade, and a cherished member of our family._  
We do not want to abuse Feliciano for his knowledge or position within the CIA, but for revenge.   
How would it feel for you, to have someone you love taken from you?   
Although, we do have to admit, there is another motive.’ 

After this cue, the camera zoomed out to reveal the chair that Feliciano was tied too, his arms and legs were bound to the chair with black duct tape, and he sat before a simple white wall. At this, Feliciano started to struggle and yell, but the muted noise served as no help.

_‘The bomb for DC was not the only thing Ivan had been working on.  
As you agents may know, Ivan was a master of chemistry and biology, and with this, he started work on a powerful biological weapon that we have perfected in his honour.’ _

Every agent gasped when a figure walked into view, wearing only a black fitted leather motorcycle suit, with a black helmet to match. However, by the shape of the body, it was clear that this person was a woman. With her she dragged a tray table, which had many small oxygen tanks on the underneath shelf, one of which was connected to a plastic clear gas mask. At this discovery, Feliciano fought against his restraints, screaming as he shook so hard, he nearly topped his chair over, until the woman held it still.

 _‘I.V.A.N we named it.  
_ _A hallucinogen, as far as we knew: it hadn’t been tested on a person yet._  
Feliciano is going to show you exactly what you’re up against.’ 

Feliciano struggled again as the plastic gas mask was placed over his mouth and noise. Visibly, the Italian was stubbornly trying to hold his breath as the woman turned the nozzle on one of the oxygen tanks. The gas was so thick and pigmented; Arthur could see the gas slowly travel up the plastic tubing, before flooding the oxygen mask. With a pinch on the arm, Feliciano gave in and took a deep breath, looking into the camera with eyes that said, ‘I’m sorry’.

“FELI!” Ludwig cried.

“Oh God…” Alfred winced as Feliciano continued to breathe in the gas, growing more and more worried with every breath.

Suddenly, the footage broke into a time lapse, showing Feliciano rock side to side and breathe as a timer at the bottom corner of the screen counted how long it has been. Slowly, Feliciano’s condition began to change, his shoulders started to rise with every breath, he was moving more, and his eyes were darting across the room in panic. He grew more and more terrified after every minute passed. 

Finally, the time lapse ended when the timer showed 40:00:00; he has been exposed to the gas for forty minutes. He was breathing slowly and leaning back against the chair, starting at figures behind the camera as if they weren’t human. His pupils were so dilated; Arthur could barely see any of their colour. Ludwig looked as though he was about to scream, he kept his shaking hands over his mouth as he stared at the screen so intensely: it nearly scared Arthur.

The woman returned to the screen and removed Feliciano’s gas mask as sound was introduced to the video. Feliciano’s hyperventilating could be heard as the mask was removed, he started shaking as he started to breathe faster.

Before Feliciano finally screamed.

Alfred covered his face with his hands and turned around, refusing to watch anymore until he could compose himself. Arthur, however, knew that he had to keep on watching. 3

Feliciano’s screams continued constantly, he shook so violently, he was on the verge of tipping his chair over. He screams were a mixture of pain and terror, making Arthur feel sick. Feliciano screamed as though the people behind the camera were monsters, he screamed as though his life was ending…

The footage cut to sometime later, according to the clock at the bottom, it had been half an hour since Feliciano’s exposure. Feliciano looked terrible… He was sweating and sobbing, begging in Italian for it all to end. He had even begun to bleed from his nose.

Suddenly, a terrible coughing noise came out from the computer speakers as Feliciano jolted forward and fell over his lap. When Feliciano lifted his head, blood covered his lap and chin; he had just coughed up blood… and a lot of it.

“NO!” Ludwig growled as he fell to his knees, immediately Gilbert went down with him, holding on tightly to his little brother.

“This is the weapon they have…?” Arthur asked, sounding just as terrified as he felt. This is far beyond anything that the agents had expected. Not only is this case related to Ivan Braginski’s death, it involves an entirely new biological weapon.

“There’s two minutes left…” Yao pointed out after checking the screen.

The next two minutes were what everyone feared; Feliciano was still screaming and coughing, more drops of blood escaping his lips. He looked like he was going through hell, and there was nothing that anyone could do to help him.

_‘We have created enough I.V.A.N to create bombs big enough to fill entire streets with the gas. If MI6 and CIA actions do not cease immediately, we will be forced to place our bombs throughout London.  
As for Feliciano… time will tell what will happen to him. Think fast, Agents.’ _

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Oh God…” Arthur whimpered.

This was the weapon that they had, that they used against Feliciano. Despite the video being over, Arthur could still see the terror in the Italian’s eyes. He was beyond sanity. Arthur had never seen so much pain before or heard such pained and terrified screams. It shook Arthur to his core.

Arthur glanced at Alfred to see that the American had turned away and was covering his face with his hands.

The fact that this crime was related to Ivan Braginski surprised Arthur, these people who kidnapped Feliciano were doing this for Ivan. This was an elaborate revenge plot that centred on making the agents suffer. And then Arthur remembered.

 _“Matthew...”_ Arthur whispered.

“What?!” Alfred asked, his eyes narrowing as Gilbert looked up at Arthur from where he supported Ludwig on the floor.

“It’s what he said to me, remember what I told you, Gilbert?” Arthur asked as Gilbert helped Ludwig off of the floor, “He warned us that there were more people working for Braginski, and there were plans for London. This is them…”

“Don’t worry, I remember, I’ve been working on something…” Gilbert sighed before he started to lead Ludwig back towards Gilberts office, before closing the door, Gilbert looked to Arthur and said quietly, “Make sure that Alfred’s ok.” And then he looked to Kiku, “Start organising security authorisation from all major airports, we need footage of all terminals associated with flights from America.”

Arthur nodded as he looked to Alfred, seeing that the American was already staring at him, instantly; Arthur felt his heart react. Arthur became paranoid that his cheeks were burning as he led Alfred towards his office.

“Can I get you anything?” Arthur asked, “Coffee, tea? Hot chocolate?”

“I’m ok…” Alfred sighed as he took a seat on one of the guest chairs on the other side of Arthur’s desk. “I’m just _upset_ …. Feli doesn’t deserve this…”

“I know, it’s ok, we’re going to get him back,” Arthur promised as he placed a hand on Alfred’s shoulder while he walked past him, before taking a seat in his chair, sitting across from Alfred, trying to not appear as nervous as he felt. “I’m sorry about this, it must be really hard.”

“Yeah…” Alfred sighed, “The best I can do is try my hardest to find him….”

Arthur could tell that Alfred was thinking about Matthew, another close friend of his has been taken away from him. Arthur could only imagine what emotional stress Alfred must be going through. He felt terrible for not knowing what else to say.

“Ludwig told us what you told him, about Matthew…” Alfred began. Arthur frowned, knowing that he told Ludwig about what Matthew had done on that day in McArthur High School. Arthur was sure to give Ludwig all of the details about why Matthew chose to stay behind, and how sorry the Canadian was for everything that happened. But Arthur also mentioned that he was sure that Alfred would have hated him for letting Matthew stay behind. “The Board of Directors first had Matt’s death labelled as a suicide. You know, considering that it was his choice to remain in the building and that the bomb would kill him. Ludwig, Feli and I naturally appealed their decision, and that’s when Ludwig had to openly explain to everyone what you had told him. That he sacrificed himself, saving everyone. That the bomb was intended to be bigger than the explosion that we saw. _He didn’t kill himself…”_  

“Alfred…” Arthur gasped, seeing the American tear up.

“They changed their minds and labelled Matt as ‘killed in action’, which is way more fitting for what he did…” Alfred explained, slowly becoming more and more emotional.

“He deserves that honour,” Arthur agreed.

“And… Ludwig told me about you believing that I would hate you for it…” Alfred admitted, his soft eyes staring into Arthur’s. Instantly, Arthur felt his body react to Alfred’s words; his heartrate sped up, his throat dried and his cheeks heated up, he didn’t know whether he was terrified or excited for this, he knew that this conversation needed to happen, but he was so unsure of how to take it, what if Alfred does really hate him? Arthur did not want to ruin this for them again, so he just simply nodded. “I don’t hate you…”

It was like a bucket of refreshing water had just been released onto Arthur’s head, however, it did nothing to calm down his speeding heartbeat. Arthur sighed as he closed his eyes, so many words created chaos within his head, there was so much he wanted to say, until he finally decided to remain on the topic of Matthew’s sacrifice, knowing that there would be another time for them to talk about their own relationship… “I did not want to do it. As soon as I ran out with you I wanted to run back inside and get him… But I…”

“You couldn’t risk us both dying trying… I will admit, I was really messed up for the first couple of months, and I did consider hating you, and I was damn close, considering all that had happened between us and you just left without even saying _goodbye!”_ Alfred calmed himself down before he became too overwhelmed, and he took a deep breath before continuing.

So… Arthur knew now that Alfred wasn’t angry with him because of Matthew’s death, but because Arthur broke his heart… Arthur didn’t blame Alfred one bit, he hated himself for it too.

“But… It isn’t your fault, you weren’t in control…” Alfred continued, his eyebrows lowering, his voice calmer. Despite the pain of the conversation, Alfred was smiling, like he needed this as much as Arthur did. “I’ve wanted you to know for so long that I didn’t hate you over that, I get it… And Matt… Matt did an amazingly brave thing, he’s honoured now, you now? He has a medal to his name…” And as quickly as Alfred recovered, he collapsed onto the desk, returning to tears, “I just wish he’d let me say goodbye…”

Arthur sighed as he remembered the way Alfred cried… Remembering how he had to hold him down when he knew that his best friend way dying. Arthur had felt like the worst person on earth for what he did… Even nightmares had dedicated themselves to making sure that Arthur never forgot his choice, and how heartbroken Alfred was. He had hurt the American so badly, Arthur wondered why he was being so civil and patient, granted, their initial encounter was cold.

Arthur’s hands began to tremble as he felt his shoulders sink, like gravity took a stronger hold on him, he could feel it trying to pull him to the floor. “He knew that you wouldn’t have let him do it alone…” Arthur pointed out, himself being reduced to tears, “You are his best friend, he knew that you wouldn’t have left him behind… I’m so sorry that I…”

“No, you did the right thing, you listened to reason and you listened to him,” Alfred pointed out, “you thought with you brain and not your heart. Berwald says that’s what makes me different… I leap into a situation and act on what my heart says…”

“Berwald?” Arthur asked, remembering the therapist that Feliciano and Ludwig had him see during his time in America, when he was struggling to cope with his grief and post-traumatic stress.

“Yeah… Feli recommended him,” Alfred pointed out, “he says hi, by the way. But he didn’t have to tell me that it’s my impulsivity that gets me into trouble. Matt wouldn’t have been taken in the first place if I hadn’t been so naïve and stupid!”

“Don’t talk like that, you know that you were doing your best!” Arthur snapped, catching Alfred’s attention sharply, even surprising himself as well as Alfred, “besides, you know that Ivan would have stopped at nothing, he would have done something far worse if the plan did not work. It isn’t your fault that Matthew got kidnapped and his death wasn’t your fault either. You are brave and you are smart! We wouldn’t have found Matthew at all if you weren’t there to help! You helped us find him and everything would have been fine if Ivan didn’t set off the bomb! None of those things were in your power to control! Don’t beat yourself up over something that you had no control over, you are not naïve and you are not stupid!”

Arthur felt his heart race as he stared into Alfred’s eyes as they widened with surprise, he obviously hadn’t expected Arthur to be so passionate about it. But Arthur would be damned if he lets Alfred talk badly about himself any more than that. Arthur knows how loving Alfred is and how much he cared about Matthew, he cares so deeply and tries so hard to make things right, he’s come all the way to London to help find Feliciano and support Ludwig. Thinking about how much he hurt Alfred bring Arthur to tears, and he was not going to let Alfred do the same to himself.

Alfred released a soft breath, finally breaking the silence between them, “Arthur...”

“I know what you are going through…” Arthur sighed, feeling his cheeks burn, he wanted to look away from Alfred’s hypnotic eyes, but his stare held Arthur so tightly, Arthur could not pull himself away. “You feel like there is something else that you could have done. If you hadn’t had said something, or went somewhere, if one detail was different then things wouldn’t have gone the way they did…”

Allistor ran through Arthur’s mind, the smile of Arthur’s beloved older brother warmed his heart and doused it in depression simultaneously. The pain of the day when he lost him still gave Arthur mental as well as physical pain, as the scars still marked his mind and his body... Nightmares of what happened still plague Arthur, and the demons still tell him that it was Arthur’s fault. And now, Arthur could only liken Alfred’s grief over Matthew to Arthur’s grief over his own brother.

Alfred took a deep and shaken breath, as though he was struggling to think straight, Arthur could relate. Arthur leaned forward to get a better look at Alfred’s face, he couldn’t resist staring as his heart raced in anticipation for what the American was going to say next, “Arthur… I… I missed---”

 _“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”_ A loud angry voice yelled from outside Arthur’s office. Out of worry, Alfred and Arthur immediately ended their conversation and ran out of Arthur’s office, only to see Ludwig walking past Yao’s desk, with Gilbert standing by his office.

 _“We can’t just wait around anymore!”_ Ludwig replied, his eyes reddened from tears and hands shaking, he was struggling harder than anyone else and it was obvious, the video had broken the young man.

“You’re just stressed,” Gilbert pointed out as he started to slowly walk towards his little brother, “We have informants all over— “

“Fuck informants! I heard you say that they didn’t know what was going on either! It could be weeks before we know anything from them, he could be dead!” Ludwig snapped, “If you let me interview people we could get answers _really quickly…”_  

“I know what you’re thinking and _don’t you dare!_ We have rules and morals to follow, I thought that you, out of everyone, would understand this!” Gilbert replied, “What if you speak to someone and they spread the word?! Feliciano could be in even more danger if we don’t do this right!”

“You’re underestimating me,” Ludwig grumbled, “I am going to get him back, no matter what!”

“Ludwig, you’re being irrational,” Gilbert snapped, “Go outside and cool off and then come back when you want to work with us!”

Ludwig sighed deeply before crossing his arms over his chest, before he turned around and walked towards the elevator. “Fine then…”

“Fucking hell…” Gilbert snapped as the elevator doors closed, “He’s not going to come back, I know him.” Gilbert looked to Yao, whom had just sat through that chaos, as he took out his phone, “Hey, Mathias, you will see my brother coming downstairs any second now, if he touches any of the vehicles, I want you to follow him.”

“Do you want me to try to talk to him?” Alfred asked after Gilbert hung up his phone.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll let him cool off for a little while,” Gilbert sighed, “I _know_ that he can handle this case, he’s just having trouble dealing with everything.” Gilbert suddenly took out his phone again after it vibrated, “What did I fucking say? He’s taken a motorcycle.”

“Are you sure?” Alfred asked again, this time he earned a thankful smile from Gilbert.

“He’s my responsibility, thank you,” Gilbert explained, “you and Arthur have a lot on your own to sort out. Check with Kiku, I’m sure he’s gotten some footage now that needs reviewing.”

“Well,” Alfred chuckled as he followed Arthur across the room, heading to Kiku’s office, “Just like old times, eh, Arthur?” 

\-----

Alas, no matter how much footage they reviewed, Arthur could not shake the feeling that they were looking in the wrong place. They looked at the security footage of Heathrow Airport, seeing the floods of people entering and leaving London, with particular focus on the arrivals area for American airlines… Arthur did not like this, it felt pointless, they did not know what the kidnappers looked like, and Arthur really doubted that Feliciano would willingly sit on an eight-hour flight and walk through the busiest airport in London without making his presence known. But then again, they didn’t have anything else to go through, and Arthur was not keen on sitting through the footage of Feliciano screaming all over again, which is probably why the task was left for Kiku and Gilbert to manage.

Eventually, Arthur returned back to his small home, reheating curry that he bought the other night and eating it with his cat, Charlie purring by his side. After changing from his work clothes and into a more comfortable old green t-shirt and black tracksuit pants, Arthur relaxed on the couch with a book and a cup of tea, with the news paying in the background. Arthur liked it this way, so he doesn’t sit in complete silence, and he wouldn’t miss the news if something important came on.

But… no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his book, Arthur felt his mind slipping away and into dark territory.

Almost every night, the demons and bad thoughts ran wildly in Arthurs head, forcefully bringing back horrid memories and unhelpful and self-destructive ideas… His nightmares wanted to ruin him in the real world too. However, while he has gotten better at coping with this since his time in America, they were still a cause for concern according to every doctor Arthur had been to since his return.

At least now he can tell the demons who taunt him about Alfred and Matthew, that the American doesn’t blame him or hate him for what happens, so they can fuck right off. However, they still could taunt Arthur about the fact that Matthew is still dead, and Arthur still broke Alfred’s heart, and Lord knows that if Alfred could forgive him for that. Alfred may be acting nice to Arthur now, but that could all be for the sake of Feliciano, he _loathes_ Arthur for what he did, and would not hesitate to stab him in the back as revenge for the heartbreak Arthur had caused him. Arthur teased Alfred, left him wanting more… only for Arthur to back down and run away like a dog… How _pitiful… pathetic, Arthur, he could not even face the American and tell him how he really felt, he couldn’t even do it now. He hasn’t even said that he was SORRY!!!_

 _“Meowwwww~”_  

Arthur was pulled out of his trance as he felt his soft and fragile cat, Charlie, push himself through the gap between Arthur’s book and his chest, wanting to take all of Arthur’s attention. And the feline got it, for as soon as the cat pushed his head into Arthur’s view, Arthur crumbled and put the book down, letting the soft white and orange Scottish fold curl into a ball on his stomach. Charlie always knew when to pull him back into reality…

However, the cat was disturbed when the doorbell rang. Sighing, Arthur let the cat fall from his lap as Arthur sat up from the couch and went to answer the door, walking past the clock, he caught a glimpse at the clock in his small kitchen. Who the hell comes at 9:30 at night?

Slowly, Arthur opened the door, before carefully peering between the gap, before gasping.

It was Alfred, he was soaked heat to toe from the bucketing rain, he smiled with relief when he saw that it was Arthur who had answered the door.

“Goodness, Alfred!” Arthur snapped as he widened the door and let the American inside, “What the hell are you doing here?!”

Alfred spoke as he bent down to untie his shoelaces, trying his best to not leave the doormat. “Look, Ludwig had the keys to our apartment when he _went rouge_ and the staff couldn’t give me a key cause I can’t prove ownership and Gilbert isn’t answering his fucking phone. So, I rang headquarters and Yao gave me your address and called a taxi for me. God, I got soaked even on the walk up from your driveway! All of my stuff is in that apartment! I am so sorry to bother you!”

“Oh, you should have a shower so you don’t catch a cold,” Arthur explained as he pulled Alfred’s drenched blazer off of his shoulders, revealing the wet white fabric that clung to the muscle underneath. Arthur found himself quaking as Alfred shook his wet hair, only for it to fall messily across his handsome face, Arthur could be sure he was blushing as the American smiled at him… “If you give me your clothes, I’ll make sure that they get dried before tomorrow. Follow me, I’ll show you the bathroom.”

Arthur could feel Alfred’s eyes on him as the American followed him through the small house, where they arrived at the bathroom in less than a minute.

“Oh my God, what a cute cat!! Holy shit, it’s so cute!!” Alfred groaned as he watched Charlie get comfortable in his basket that sat in Arthur’s bedroom, of which Arthur left the door open to and Alfred got a view as they passed through the small hallway.

“His name is Charlie,” Arthur answered as he took some towels from the linen cupboard for Alfred.

“Charlie?” Alfred groaned, like he was in pain, “He’s so _cute!”_  

“Here,” Arthur said as he opened the door to the bathroom and turned on the lights. It was a small bathroom, but it had what was needed, a sink, a shower and a bathtub.

“Wait here a sec, I’ll just get my wet clothes off,” Alfred murmured as he entered the bathroom and shut the door, and like he said, within a couple of minutes the door opened again slightly and Alfred handed Arthur his soaked white shirt and black pants.

As he heard the shower running, Arthur hung Alfred’s clothes over the heater in the laundry, knowing that if he keeps the heater on overnight, the clothes should be dry by morning.

Arthur couldn’t settle himself as he took more blankets and pillows from the linen cupboard and made a small bed for Alfred on the couch. Sighing, Arthur worried about Alfred being too tall for the couch. However, before he could worry, Alfred re-joined him in the living room, wearing only a white singlet top and red boxers.

“I’m sorry, but this is all I’ve got that isn’t too soaked, besides, the heater in the bathroom dried them,” Alfred explained as he sheepishly shuffled behind the couch.

“It’s ok, have you had dinner?” Arthur asked.

Alfred nodded, “I ate while waiting for the taxi.”

“Well, I’m going to head to bed, you can watch some TV if you like…” Arthur explained as he walked towards the hallway where his bedroom was.

“Um, Arthur,” Alfred murmured, catching Arthur’s attention as he turned around, “Thanks…”

\----

No matter how hard he tried, Arthur could not settle enough the get to sleep, the fact alone that Alfred was in his living room was driving him crazy. Why did this have to happen now?

Perhaps Arthur should take this as an opportunity to destroy one more demon that’s been haunting him. If he apologises to Alfred in the morning and explains his reason for leaving, then there would be nothing left for Arthur to say.

He rolled over as he tried to imagine how the conversation would go, the first scenario began fine, however what started as a conversation turned into a horrid argument with name calling and insults. No matter how many times he changed the script, Arthur could always think of a way for Alfred to become mad at him. He tried to imagine so many ways that he could tell Alfred that he was sorry, but every one ended up being thrown back into his face. Arthur became terrified, and his anxieties always were at their worst at night…

However, Arthur froze when he heard the door to his bedroom slowly open, and the noise of footsteps lightly treading on the hardwood flooring filled Arthur’s ears as he laid frozen, trying his best to appear as natural and relaxed as possible, like he was actually sleeping.

“Arthur…” Alfred’s voice whispered as Arthur felt the mattress slightly tilt to the sudden pressure placed on the bed, _“Pssst, Arthur….”_ Arthur could feel him getting closer, and Arthur felt as though he was about to explode, this couldn’t be happening.

“Mm?” Arthur murmured, opening his eyes, trying to pretend as though he wasn’t already completely awake. Arthur turned onto his back to see Alfred staring down at him, and the moonlight that came in through the window beside Arthur’s bed illuminated the American. “Alfred, what?”

 _“Why?”_ He asked, his voice sounding tense, like he was holding back something more passionate. Arthur frowned, had this been keeping Alfred awake as well…?

“Wh…” Arthur gasped as he felt Alfred lean into him, his arms resting on Arthur’s sides as he brought their faces closer. Arthur was not going to get out of this…

_“Back home… I thought we had something, I really liked you and I thought you felt it too… You said yes to a date… Did I do something wrong? Cause now, we… I… You…”_

The poor man was struggling to think…

 _“We did.”_ Arthur answered, closing his eyes as he felt his anxiety race out of control, Arthur wouldn’t be shocked if Alfred could feel Arthur’s heartbeat from this distance.

“What did I do wrong then?” Alfred asked, his eyes widening as his voice trembled, he sounded as though he was going through the same wave of anxiety as Arthur. “I… You just left…”

 _“I know…”_ Arthur sighed, whispering even though they had the whole house to themselves. _“I’m so sorry. It wasn’t you, I swear.”_

“But… what was it?” Alfred asked.

“I… I was not in a good place back then. I was struggling through a lot and... I didn’t know how to handle it. I was in a lot of pain and I didn’t share it with others and I let it bottle up inside of me until it destroyed anything that I had… Including you…”

“What?”

“I had nightmares every night, where I would watch Allistor die _over and over again,”_ Arthur explained as he started to cry, he covered his face with his hands as he kept explaining. He and Alfred both needed to hear this, so he knew that he had to be brave and continue. _“And then it happened to you._ I was so distraught, I came to believe that anyone who came close to me would meet the same terrible fate and it would be all because of me. I hated what it did to me and I hated watching what it was doing to you. But, I was convinced that it was the only way…”

 _“Arthur…”_ Alfred whispered, relaxing himself enough to lie his chest against Arthur’s ribs, but kept his head up so he could maintain eye contact with the Englishman, their faces were still close enough to touch, Arthur could feel Alfred’s hot breath against his skin, he did not want Alfred to move. _“I’m so sorry…”_

Arthur stared up at the roof as he felt his tears run down the sides of his face, “I didn’t want you to end up like Allistor, so I shut myself away. I pretended to not care when you talked, I pretended to not notice the way you looked at me, and I avoided the subject of us completely. It was so painful. I feel so stupid when I think of it now. I threw away something beautiful because of a nightmare.”

“But, it was something that scared you. You went through the worst thing, and I don’t blame you for having lasting scars. It’s perfectly normal to remember and to feel. It was a nightmare, but it was legitimately how you felt. To be honest, I was worried about you the whole time. Something like that has gotta utterly destroy you, and I was amazed that you were so… so… _strong.”_

“Hm? I’m not so strong…”

“But you are, you’ve been through hell and yet you still come to work every day and do your best to protect people. You’re the strongest person I know,” Alfred admitted.

Arthur’s eyes widened as he stared at Alfred, unsure of what to say to that. The way that Alfred smiled at him cancelled any retort that Arthur could think of. Arthur couldn’t help but slowly smile at the American as his hands made his way up Alfred’s arms, feeling the strong muscle that laid underneath the soft and warm skin.

“You’re what I want to be,” Alfred continued, leaning in closer to Arthur, “Ever since I read about you in that newsletter, I knew that I wanted to be as strong, confident and cool as you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since… Well… I suppose I’m saying that you’ve had me since day one…”      

 _“Alfred…”_ Arthur gasped.

“If… If you’re feeling up to it… While I’m here maybe we can… Umm…” Alfred whispered and even in the moonlight Arthur could tell that the American was going red, “Start again?”

 _“How about from where we left off?”_ Arthur asked as he placed his hands on Alfred’s cheeks, before pulling the Americans head into him until their lips met. The kiss did not start softly, Arthur knew what he wanted and he was going to get it. He was so full of emotion he couldn’t hold himself away anymore, he wanted to _feel_ all that he had been missing out on from Alfred _._ He wants to show Alfred just how sorry he is.

The kiss was deeper than he first expected, as Alfred eagerly accepted the kiss. Arthur quickly hooked his arms around Alfred's shoulders, holding him closely. 

Arthur felt Alfred press Arthur against the pillows, sinking further into the soft bed. 

God, Arthur moaned slightly as the kiss deepened, his mouth opening to let Alfred's tongue caress his lips. It felt so _good_ , Alfred's lips were softer than Arthur imagined and he was more skilled than expected. Alfred slid his arms underneath Arthur; holding him tightly as their kissing slowed. Alfred moaned softly as he pulled his legs over Arthur's, lying perfectly on top of him. 

Arthur took a deep breath as Alfred pulled away from him, catching his breath. Blue eyes met green as they both debated in which direction the rest of the evening should take. “I…”

“Hm?” Arthur murmured.

“I get it if you want to take things slow,” Alfred explained, “I don’t want to mess this up, I don’t want to lose you again.”

Arthur chuckled softly as he ran his hand along Alfred’s soft cheek, “It wasn’t your fault in the first place, I’m the one who has the making-up to do.”

Alfred chuckled as a large yawn caught up to him, and slowly Alfred started to retreat from Arthur, “I’m really sorry to bother you, I better let you sleep before tomorrow, _heh…”_

Arthur smiled as he watched Alfred slowly walk back towards the door, still smiling at him like a teenager who just had his first kiss and was still trying to act cool. “How’s the couch?”

Alfred sighed, “Well…”  

“It’s too short, isn’t it?” Arthur sighed, sighing as Alfred nodded, “well, you can sleep in here if you like. You need sleep too.”

 _“Oh thank God,”_ Alfred groaned as he walked back to Arthur bed, happily sliding in underneath the covers, taking the side next to Arthur.

“Was it really that short?!” Arthur asked.

“Dude, when I lie on that couch I curve up like a banana,” Alfred chuckled as he laid beside Arthur, sighing with relief as he stretched his legs over the mattress, even lightly touching Arthur feet with his toes. Alfred’s tired smile warmed Arthur’s heart before he yawned. “Can I hold you?”

“Hm?” Arthur asked, frowning as he wondered whether he had misheard the American.

However, Arthur knew perfectly well what he had asked and Arthur rolled into Alfred, close enough that they were sharing one pillow. Arthur felt Alfred’s warm arms curl around him, pulling him in closer as the Englishman and the American closed their eyes.

For the first time in years, Arthur fell asleep without going through the pain of the demons in his head keeping him awake for hours. Even if it was just for this one night, Arthur was relieved to realise that he was finally going to have a night of peace.   


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey little guy…” Alfred whispered, smiling widely as Charlie walked across the kitchen counter as the American ate his breakfast, brushing his soft body across Alfred’s arm, milking the American’s attention. Alfred chuckled as the small car purred to his touch. “Oh, who’s so cute? Yes, yes, it’s you… Oh my God, you’re so soft.” 

Arthur felt his cheeks burn and his heart race as he watched Alfred talk to his cat, while he dried his hair with a towel. Arthur still couldn’t believe that last night went so well, he was almost convinced that it was just a good dream, however, waking up in the same bed as Alfred proved that wrong. 

But Arthur still has to ask, what were they? Are they boyfriends now, or are they just curious? Arthur has to ask these questions, because Alfred will have to go back to America when they find Feliciano. So, what will they be after that? Can Arthur really make this work, or will he shut himself out again? 

But then, Arthur remembered that Charlie isn’t allowed on the kitchen counter because of his horrific shedding. 

“OI!” Arthur snapped, getting the attention of both the American and the cat, “Off the counter!” At Arthur’s order, Charlie jumped off the kitchen counter and onto the floor, “sorry, he sheds, and he knows that he’s not allowed up there.” 

“Aww, the little guy, he’s so cute and I’m not used to cats actually liking me,” Alfred cooed before taking another spoonful of his cereal. “At mom and dad’s house, mom has three cats and only one of them tolerates me, while the other two are antisocial assholes. But Charlie is honestly making me question my stance as a dog-guy.”

Arthur laughed as he flicked the switch to start the kettle for his morning cup of tea. Arthur couldn’t help but stare at Alfred’s figure, his arm muscles were definitely impressive… He looks much more different than he remembered, but then again, Arthur had never seen Alfred’s bare-arms before… Even Alfred’s whole body had gone through an upgrade, Arthur could imagine how tight and muscular his body was underneath the white singlet that he wore to bed. Even in the morning Alfred looked so handsome. His dirty blonde hair was a mess on his head, but yet it still looked perfect and effortless. 

Arthur can’t just stare at him in silence like a creep, and so he spoke, “I see you’ve gotten a bit of muscle, have you been working out?” Arthur asked as he started preparing his cup of tea, “do you want coffee or tea?” 

“Coffee, and yeah; I started going to gym more,” Alfred explained, smiling bashfully, “And I’ve even taken up boxing.” 

“Oh really?” Arthur asked, chuckling at the idea of Alfred being a boxer. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet,” Alfred explained, before pretending to throw some punches into the air, “I’m happy you noticed! I’ve been working really hard!”

Arthur had to admit that he was happy to see that Alfred was doing so well, especially after all that has happened to him. “I’m happy to see that you’re doing well too. I was really worried about you when I left,” Arthur admitted as he handed Alfred his cup of coffee. 

“Yeah… After Matt, I would have been much worse if it weren’t for Feli and Ludwig, they were checking on me daily, bringing food to my house, letting me speak to them about my problems. They were great. I owe them,” Alfred admitted. “We’ve all been like family for years, so… I guess I’m really lucky to have them.” 

Arthur smiled as he leaned against the counter across from Alfred. Arthur could assume that this is where he and Alfred’s recoveries differ. While Arthur suffered in silence, Alfred let the people around him in and let them support him. Arthur knew that Gilbert and Kiku tried to offer help when he was grieving over Allistor, but Arthur did not let them. Would Arthur be as good as Alfred is now if he let them in…? 

“I’m really happy for you,” Arthur admitted. 

“But, what about you, what have you been up to?” Alfred asked. 

“Sadly, I don’t have much to offer,” Arthur sighed, “I don’t do much. Especially not recently.” 

“Well, Gilbert mentioned that you foiled an assassination right before we came here, that’s pretty fuckin cool, if you ask me,” Alfred pointed out, Arthur laughed softly before taking a sip of tea. 

“Please, that’s all in a day’s work,” Arthur admitted. 

“Then that’s even cooler then!” Alfred chuckled. 

“You’re too sweet,” Arthur murmured as Alfred leaned over the table and lifted the hair on Arthur’s forehead, before planting as light kiss on Arthur’s forehead, “But we should get ready for work. Gilbert will crack the shits if we’re late.” 

“Right,” Alfred agreed. 

\------ 

Alfred and Arthur walked into the office acting like they hadn’t kissed the night before, but yet, Arthur’s heart raced when he saw Alfred smiling at him. 

“Alfred!” Gilbert cried when he noticed the American, “I am so sorry about missing your calls last night, I can’t believe that they didn’t give you another key.” 

“Don’t worry, man. I was fine, I stayed with Arthur,” Alfred explained as Gilbert handed him a set of keys.

“Oh,” Gilbert murmured before looking at Arthur, who avoided his stare with a deep pink hue on his pale cheeks. Great, Gilbert knew now, and Arthur didn’t have to say anything. “Really, that’s good, when I heard your voicemail I got worried.” 

“Yeah, I was panicked, but I rang the office and Yao got me a taxi to Arthur’s house,” Alfred explained. 

“Alright, well, I had gas masks made for us, these are for you and Arthur,” Gilbert explained as he handed Alfred two small, clear gas masks. 

“It’s getting serious, eh?” Alfred asked as he placed the masks into his messenger bag. 

“Extremely… We all saw what the gas did to Feliciano…” Gilbert grimaced. 

“Good morning,” Kiku murmured as he came up from behind Arthur, standing next to the Englishman. 

“Good morning,” Arthur murmured as he glanced over to Kiku, before frowning when he saw how tired Kiku’s eyes looked from underneath his dark fringe. “Oh, Kiku, are you feeling ok?”

“Tired… I was up all last night working on the case file,” Kiku explained. “Gilbert and I decided that it would be best if we have everything on the case physically printed, and make copies of everything. Just in case.”

Arthur frowned, “So I’m that I will have to hand over my work too?”

“I’m glad that I didn’t have to ask…” Kiku chuckled, “I’m sorry, but this is for security interests.” 

“Security interests, what’s---“ 

“GUYS!” Yao announced when he stepped out of the elevator, “We’ve got more mail!!” 

“Oh no…” Arthur gasped, looking to Alfred to see the horrified expression on his face. 

“I don’t know what’s in it yet,” Yao admitted as he placed the envelope on the main table as everyone gathered around. “I can’t feel any memory-sticks in it, but it is unmarked, so that’s why I brought it up here.” 

“Oh God, please don’t be what I’m thinking of, for the love of God….” Alfred whimpered, taking Arthur’s hand into his own and holding it tightly. 

Yao opened the envelope, and frowned when he pulled out multiple small squared pieces of paper. “What the…?” 

Yao placed the papers onto the table for everyone to see. Kiku was the one who frowned as he picked up one, “Photos…?”

“Oh my God…” Alfred gasped. 

The photos were old fashioned, like they were printed the moment they were taken. One of the photos showed three figures sitting together in a living room, with two sharing one large armchair, and the other sitting on the couch with his arms spread. Two of the figures were adults, and the other was a small child, perhaps four or five. 

Immediately, Arthur shuddered when he instantly recognised the figures, “Francis…” 

Arthur was right, it was the Frenchman, Francis was sitting on the armchair with a charming smile on his face. And his youth reinforced the age of the picture, Francis looked like a young man, handsome and with so much life ahead of him. 

“Oh my God, that’s Matt…” Alfred whispered, pointing to the young child who stat on Francis’ lap. The child was like a carbon copy of his father, an absolutely adorable child, with lightly coloured blonde and fluffy hair. He was laughing, revealing a set of tiny teeth. Francis was looking down at Matthew like he was his entire world, and his arm was tightly around Matthew, holding him closely as the child. 

But then, Arthur started to focus on the third figure, his eyes widening when he realised that it was Ivan Braginski. Ivan looked much younger than Arthur remembered, and he was smiling at the person behind the camera. 

Arthur couldn’t believe that these three people were once so happy together, despite the horror and sadness that awaited them in the future. The reality that all three of them were going to die on the same day… It saddened Arthur to see them so happy together. 

Arthur frowned when he turned the photo around and read what was on the back, “Ivan and, the name is scribbled out, visiting Francis, Joan and Mathieu…” 

“This would have been right after Ivan left the Tambov Gang, he must have stayed with Francis when he was hiding from Canadian police,” Gilbert explained. 

Another photo hurt Arthur more, he picked it up and took a closer look, seeing that it was of Ivan sitting on the same couch, and this time, Matthew was on his lap, sitting so comfortably, he looked as though he was falling asleep. Ivan was staring at the camera with a wide smile on his face and a children’s book in his hand. Arthur never knew that the Russian was capable of looking so… happy… 

Arthur felt Alfred tighten his grip on his hand, Arthur looked to Alfred to see that he was holding another photo in his trembling hand. A photo of Matthew in Ivan’s arms, with his tiny hands on the Russians cheek as he smiled down at him. Alfred looked like he was on the verge of tears, knowing that the man would end up killing that child later in life and cause so much pain… 

“So, we have reason to believe that whoever was taking these photos, are the ones behind Feliciano’s kidnapping,” Gilbert explained, “as for the gas threat, I’ve had gas-masks issued to all agents and high ranking officers.” 

“About that…” Kiku pointed out. 

“I have issued the state of emergency… If it gets worse, soon the public will be warned,” Gilbert sighed. “We can’t just stop, we don’t bow to terrorists!” 

“Alright, then we’ll stop them before they set off the bombs,” Alfred pointed out. 

“Hopefully,” Kiku sighed. 

\---- 

“So, tell me, what exactly is Feliciano’s position within the CIA?” Arthur asked as Alfred took a seat on the chair on the other side of Arthur’s desk. 

“I… I’m not sure …” Alfred sighed, “At first, I thought that he was Ludwig’s assistant: he got Ludwig coffee, would organise things for him and all that. But it turns out that was just Feli being nice. Feli has a whole history with the CIA and police since he moved from Italy. I saw a photo of Feli arresting this HUGE GUY, like fuck, can you imagine that little guy taking down a beefy-as criminal: cause he’s done it.” 

“Really?” Arthur asked as Alfred nodded.

“He’s actually got quiet the status in the CIA, he was able to organise Matt’s reformation, acceptance into the CIA, my acceptance into the CIA, hell, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who organised for you to come to America.” Alfred explained. 

“Yes, that is true, he’s the one who approached me,” Arthur admitted. 

“You know, Ludwig is a huge mess without Feli…” Alfred explained, sighing slightly, “Feli… Was the glue that held out team together when we lost Matt… That guy is literally like a ray of sunshine and he brought out the best in Ludwig. On the day when we realised that something was wrong, Ludwig was screaming, crying out and yelling so much. He was terrified of even the possibility of something being wrong.”

“Oh…” Arthur murmured. 

“Sure, Feliciano and Ludwig are really conservative at work, but… you can tell that they look at each other differently than anybody else; there’s real love right there…” Alfred explained, “Ludwig is going to stop at nothing to get Feli back, trust me.” 

“I don’t doubt that,” Arthur replied. “Now, we should get started on these…” Arthur gestured down to the stack of paper that sat on Arthur’s desk. All of these were statements written in response to the bomb threat from the kidnappers, and Alfred and Arthur have to sort out which ones are worth setting up patrols, just in case if one of the I.V.A.N bombs were planted on their locations. 

However, before Alfred and Arthur could properly, Gilbert ran into Arthur’s office. 

“You two, come with me, now!” Gilbert ordered, and immediately Alfred ad Arthur jumped out of their seats and followed Gilbert towards the elevator. “It’s Ludwig, he tracked down someone involved, and now there’s a hostage situation! Matthias was rushing, so I don’t have all the details!” 

“You’re kidding me, he actually found something?!” Arthur asked as they waited for the elevator.

“I knew he could do it! I just hope he hasn’t made any mistakes…” Gilbert sighed, “There was a risk, but I knew that if I let Ludwig do what he wanted, he would bring results…” 

“So, what’s this about a hostage situation?” Arthur asked, watching Gilbert nervously fiddle with the gold wedding ring on his finger. 

“Down at a café in Southbank, Ludwig confronted someone and the situation has gotten ugly,” Gilbert explained as the elevator doors open, “Now we’ve got to— HEY!” 

Everyone stepped back as a figure stepped out of the elevator, the short man wore a nice dark suit, and had dark brown hair. His narrow green eyes frowned at Gilbert as he took a step towards the German. 

“Hey, why do you look so surprised to see me?!” The man asked, revealing a thick Italian accent, Arthur frowned, realising now that the man looked very similar to Feliciano. 

“Lovino, I—I didn’t expect to see you so soon!” Gilbert pointed out. 

“Well, I’m here now,” Lovino pointed out. 

“Greeeeat,” Gilbert sighed, “I’m afraid that we don’t need a lawyer right now, so I suggest you talk to Kiku and he can—“ 

“What has happened to my little brother, that’s why I came here so fucking early, so you can tell me all that has happened to him!” Lovino demanded, pointing a finger at Gilbert. 

“Look, Lovino, I’d love to sit you down and talk through everything, but we have somewhere we need to be,” Gilbert explained as he, Alfred and Arthur walked into the elevator, “I promise, I’ll explain the situation and what we need you for when we return!” 

Lovino frowned as Gilbert pressed the button to close the elevator doors, “Has he been hurt…?” But before Gilbert could answer, the elevator doors shut. 

“He doesn’t know anything, does he?” Arthur sighed. 

“No…” Gilbert sighed, hanging his head, “I hoped to have more of an idea of who the kidnapper is, so I could get legal advice from him… But… Now I have no idea what to say to him. I don’t want to be the one to tell him about the videos…” 

“It’s ok, he’ll get that you’re doing your best to find his brother,” Alfred explained. “That’s all we can do, now; let’s deal with Ludwig.” 

The ride to Southbank was tense, Arthur was worried about what could be happening down at Southbank; what if Ludwig has found something, what if he’s found one of the kidnappers?! This could be the big break in the case that they needed. Arthur looked down at his hand, to see that Alfred was still holding it as he looked out of the window and watched the city of London go by with wide eyes. 

Eventually the group reached Southbank, an area of London that is situated near the Thames, it is buzzing with tourist and local activity, so the hostage situation carrying out in the café quickly attracted attention. 

Police tapped blocked off spectators and the media and police cars were gathered around the small café, with more police standing outside, monitoring the situation. 

“Ludwig’s here…” Gilbert pointed out, walking to a black motorcycle that was leaning against the brick wall, next to the café entrance, “God, he didn’t even take out the keys.” Gilbert sighed as he handed the keys to Arthur for safe-keeping. 

“Gilbert!” A voice cried, as a police officer ran over to the group of Agents, smiling at Gilbert like he was an old friend. 

“Sadiq!” Gilbert chuckled as he shook the officer’s hand, “What’s the situation?” 

“We’ve got four people inside, two men; agents, I’m assuming, a woman; wearing a motorcycle helmet, and a child; the hostage,” The officer explained in a Turkish accent. 

Arthur peered through the café windows to see the unfolding scene, the tables and chairs were all turned over, and the four figures could be seen in the middle of the café. Immediately, Arthur could recognise the German and the Danish Agents, Ludwig stood with his gun at the ready, pointing at the woman in a black motorcycle suit, with her identity protected by a motorcycle helmet. However, Arthur’s eyes widened when she saw a small blonde child, no more than ten, struggling in her grasp. 

“How does he have a gun?!” Gilbert hissed. 

“Um….” Alfred murmured nervously, avoiding the glare he received from the MI5 agents, “we may t or may not have pulled a couple of strings with immigration and got our guns back…” 

Arthur frowned, seeing that there was something else that Alfred hadn’t told him, “Don’t tell me you—“ 

“Yeah, I have mine on me right now…” Alfred admitted, before looking back at Arthur, pouting at Arthur’s frown, “It’ll come in handy!” 

“We’ll discuss this later,” Gilbert pointed out, “you two, sneak in through the back, I’ll try to join Ludwig and Matthias in there.” 

Alfred and Arthur nodded as they started to run around the side of the building, leaving Gilbert to ponder his options. 

“How did I know that you would be involved in this, Beilschmidt?” Sadiq asked. 

“My little brother is in there!” Gilbert pointed out, “He’s the tall blonde!”

Sadiq just chuckled, “Which one?” 

“Never mind,” Gilbert sighed, “Just get me in there!” 

“But—“ 

Gilbert stepped forward and marched towards the door, determined to get in, Sadiq stopped anyone who tried to get in Gilbert’s way. Gilbert opened the door to the café, getting everyone’s attention. 

“Let the kid go, you know that this isn’t going to help you,” Gilbert announced as he stood in the middle of Ludwig and Matthias, with Ludwig holding a gun. “We just want to talk.”

“She doesn’t speak back,” Ludwig pointed out, “We’ve tried everything, she doesn’t respond.” 

Gilbert tried to not stare when he noticed the door to the kitchen open slightly, meaning that Alfred and Arthur had made their way inside and were not hiding behind the counter. 

“You don’t want to do this.” 

“Said that.”

“He’s just a child, he has nothing to do with this.”

“Said that too.” 

Suddenly, before Gilbert could think, Alfred and Arthur ran from their hiding spots, Alfred pushed himself into the woman as Arthur pulled the crying child from her grip. 

Alfred finally got to show off his boxing skills, he blocked the kitchen door to prevent her from escaping. He lifted his fists and became light of his feet, and the second she moved in a way he did not like, Alfred landed a firm punch directly against her helmet, leaving a crack on the tinted visor. 

However, she got up quicker than Alfred anticipated, and delivered a devastating kick to his abdomen sending Alfred into Arthur. 

But before she could run, Ludwig charged into her and sent the two crashing into the kitchen. 

“WHERE IS HE!?” Ludwig screamed as he fought her on the floor, despite how hard she kicked and punched him. “WHERE IS HE!?” 

“Ludwig,” Gilbert snapped as he forced her wrists into handcuffs, “We’ll give her a good talking to at the station.” 

Ludwig looked up and Gilbert and smirked as the other agents entered the kitchen, “What did I tell you?”

“Shut up,” Gilbert hissed as he lifted the woman from the kitchen floor, “But, good job.” 

Promptly, she was led outside by the agents, where she was greeted by police. 

“She does look like the girl from the video…” Alfred pointed out, as he placed his hands on the side of the woman’s black motorcycle helmet, “now, let’s see who you are…” 

However, before Alfred could lift the helmet, a buzzing roar of a motor rung through everyone’s ears as a motorcyclist on a dark blue bike rode onto the footpath, ramming their way through surrounding police, unafraid to nearly run people over. Upon sight, the woman pulled herself from Gilbert and Ludwig’s grasp just in time to hang her arms over the motorcyclist’s shoulders as they rode by. 

“We can’t let them get away!” Arthur cried as he and Alfred attempted to intervene, however, they had sped off, leaving the agents and officers dumbfounded and without their target. 

Arthur knew now that he had to act, he grabbed Alfred by the sleeve and led him to the black motorcycle. “Alfred, come with me.” 

“Right!” Alfred agreed as he sat behind Arthur on the motorcycle as Arthur drove off, praying that his minimal driving experience would be enough to prevent him from crashing. 

Luckily for them, Arthur knew the city of London like his back hand, he knew where every turn led to and knew exactly where to go and before they knew it, they were in sight of the targets. 

“Aren’t you glad I brought this?!” Alfred asked as he took his gun out of the messenger bag, where he also kept their gas masks. Alfred’s other arm remained tightly hooked around Arthur, holding on tightly to the Englishman’s shirt. 

“Keep your eyes on them!” Arthur snapped as he swerved past driving cars, following the kidnappers as they zoomed down the road. 

Alfred focussed on the kidnappers, hearing the noise of blaring police sirens gather behind them. Whenever Alfred saw a chance to shoot the kidnappers tyres, they either turned into another street, or hid behind another car. It was irritating him. 

However, the irritation melted away when Arthur followed the kidnappers onto the Westminster Bridge, getting a magnificent view of Big Ben. The sight filled Alfred’s heart with wonder, like he had immediately fallen in love with the beautiful city… However, he couldn’t stare for too long, as Arthur sped up enough to get close to the kidnappers, Alfred was ready to take his shot, lifting his gun and establishing his aim; remembering the countless hours he had spent in the shooting ranges. But suddenly, Arthur was forced to take a sharp turn to avoid crashing into the back of a black taxi as he turned around Kings Square, dashing past Elizabeth Tower and Westminster Abbey. Eventually, Arthur had followed the kidnappers around the Kings Square, before they led Arthur back onto Westminster Bridge, leading them back towards the London Aquarium and London Eye. 

What they didn’t expect to see, was the kidnappers swerving onto the footpath, before driving down the set of stairs that led onto the walkway beside the River Thames. 

“Oh God.” Arthur choked as the turn came up, and he had to make the choice of whether to follow them, or find another way: where they risk letting the kidnappers get away. 

“You can do it!” Alfred cheered, holding on tightly to Arthur, bracing or the bumpy journey. 

Following Alfred’s advice, Arthur took the turn and held his breath as the motorcycle bumped down the stairs, barely making it to the bottom of the walkway. When the road was smooth, Arthur sped up, desperate to catch up to the kidnappers. Multiple people jumped out of the way, or Arthur nearly tipped over the bike to avoid them, he swerved past mothers with prams, old people, teenagers and school-children. 

The names that Arthur was called as he drove past people made the Englishman wish that these motorcycles had sirens on them. But Arthur was willing to take the abuse in order to keep up with the kidnappers, who were flawlessly swerving past the people. Despite how hard Alfred tried, he could not bring himself to shoot, the risk was too high, and before he could make a decision, the opportunity had passed. Before they knew it, the chase had extended all the way down to the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. 

Deciding that this had gone on long enough, Alfred raised his gun, determined to take the shot and be unafraid of the consequences of missing. Seeing Alfred raise his gun, Arthur became brave himself and sped up, effortlessly gliding past groups of people, getting closer to the kidnappers. 

“READY?!” Alfred asked, giving Arthur a warning.

“DO IT!” Arthur snapped. 

Alfred waited for the opportunity, seeing it come closer and closer, Alfred knew that he couldn’t waste this chance. 

A gunshot went off… But it wasn’t from Alfred. 

Suddenly, Alfred and Arthur fell forward, crashing to the stone ground, gliding across the harsh pavement as the bike spun before smashing against the stone railing. Alfred found himself lying on his back, his vision blurred and pain shot up his back in waves. Slowly, Alfred rose and looked around, a crowd had gathered outside the Globe Theatre to see the scene. Alfred turned back to look at Arthur, to see the Englishman struggling to rise, the arm of his suit ripped up and a line of blood running from his forehead. 

“Arthur..” Alfred gasped as he crawled towards Arthur, struggling to help Arthur up as he groaned in pain.

“What the hell happened?!” Arthur hissed. 

“I heard a gunshot… someone sniped our bike, I know it!” Alfred hissed as he helped Arthur to his feet. 

“The kidnappers…” Arthur whimpered. 

“Don’t worry about that now, what about you?” Alfred asked, wanting to get a closer look at the blood on Arthur’s head. 

“No… Look…” Arthur gasped, pointing past Alfred. 

Alfred turned around to see where Arthur was pointing, the kidnappers had stopped running away, and were staring at Alfred and Arthur through their helmets… something was wrong…. 

“What the hell are they—“ 

Arthur was interrupted when a loud, thunderous boom echoed through Southbank, making the entire ground shake. Alfred and Arthur looked at each other, recognising the terrifying sensation of a bomb going off. 

Before they knew it, the Globe Theatre’s roof was overflowing with a thick mist, as though it were a cauldron-prop, with the thick gas spilling from the top and out onto the walkway, engulfing everything in its path. More and more bombs went odd, moving further down the walk, swallowing everyone in the thick, terrifying gas…. 

They knew immediately, it was I.V.A.N.


	6. Chapter 6

Alfred found himself staring at the large cloud of thick grey gas as it slowly poured out of the top of the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, the cloud was growing bigger and bigger by the second, and would engulf the agents in a matter of minutes. Alfred’s eyes widened when he saw people running from the cloud, and it brought Alfred back to reality, this was real, he has to act now and he has to be a hero. 

“Shit…” Alfred gasped, as the noises of people reacting to the cloud of gas started to gain traction, as more and more people began to panic. Alfred looked to Arthur to see that Arthur’s wide eyes were still staring at the cloud with a mixture of anger and terror. 

Alfred then suddenly remembered that he was still carrying his messenger bag, which still had the gas mask that Gilbert gave them earlier. He couldn’t believe how lucky this was for the two agents. Even though they were standing meters away from the thick fog-like gas, they could still feel its chemical properties sting their throats, they could only imagine what pain the people inside the theatre are going through now…. Or what Feliciano went through… 

“Those monsters…” Arthur growled, as Alfred looked through his bag, before pulling out the two small, plastic gas masks, passing one to Arthur, “This is a family place, fucking families!!” 

“We should work on crowd control, right now, get as many people out as we can!” Alfred explained as he placed the mask over the bottom half of his face with an elastic band keeping the mask connected to his head. It was basic, but it will have to do. 

Immediately Alfred and Arthur jumped into action, running into the fog, ushering the first people they saw to safety, instructing them to keep moving, as the gas will keep travelling. The gas made it extremely difficult to see, it was as thick as fog and chilling to Alfred’s exposed skin, leaving Goosebumps over his entire body. It was like being caressed by a ghost, and judging by the man that the gas was named after, he wouldn’t be shocked if Ivan’s spirit was involved. 

The Agents’ jobs became increasingly harder as the gas expanded across the footpath, and had even begun to spill over the railing into the River Thames. Alfred watched as Arthur ushered away a woman who was carrying her child, before turning to a group of schoolgirls, snapping at them to don’t waste time filming, get as far away as they can and don’t breathe in the gas.  
It was then that Alfred heard more screams coming from inside the building, Alfred knew now that he had to act. 

“Alfred, we need to go inside!” Arthur pointed out, standing by Alfred’s side.

“But what about the police, will they have masks?” Alfred asked. 

“SHIT!” Arthur hissed, “OK, as soon as police arrive I’ll help them, you get as many people out of the Globe as you can! I’ll join you soon!” 

“Right!” Alfred replied, before pulling Arthur in for a quick hug, whispering “Good luck.” 

“Be careful,” Arthur whispered before letting Alfred go, and the two ran in their own directions. Alfred sprinted past the entrance doors to the Globe Theatre museum, being completely overwhelmed by the thickness of the gas, it was more blinding than fog in there, although, he was happy to see that people were passing him and making their escapes. However, he could hear people wheezing and screaming in panic as they breathed in the gas, Alfred knew that he had a short amount of time to get these people out, before they would start seeing the horrifying effects of the gas. Memories of what happened to Feliciano because of the gas flashed in Alfred’s mind as he guided more and more people to safety, determined to save people from the terrifying hallucinations that Feliciano saw… 

He watched as less people remained in the café and gift shop area, however, the conditions of the people who remained were only becoming worse, he had to move fast and could only imagine the conditions of the people inside! Alfred wondered whether hallucinations would have begun by now, and how much time he had left to get them outside! 

As he helped the last person out of the gift shop, noticing how visibly shaken the people had become, the last woman he helped gripped at his arm for life as she trembled… But then again, everyone must be scared right now, not even Alfred was immune to the power of fear. Alfred returned to the gift shop and performed one last check, seeing if there were any people on the floor that he missed. Alfred took a deep breath as he stared at the doorway to the Shakespeare museum. 

The museum entrance was dark and decorated by red walls and red carpet, the first thing he noticed was the large timeline of Shakespeare’s lifetime and literary works spanning across the entire wall. The gas was floating above the floor and creeping up the walls, sending shivers down Alfred’s spine. As he walked further down the hall he noticed the collections of Shakespearian and Elizabethan artefacts and costumes that were on display, accompanied by knee-high plaques that Alfred struggled to avoid banging his knee into, he knew that this will become a hazard later. 

Alfred shuddered as he heard screams coming from somewhere deeper within the exhibit, the noises forced Alfred to break into a run, flipping a switch in the American’s compassionate heart. Alfred was horrified to realise that the screams were higher in pitch, like those of children… 

“HOLD ON!” Alfred screamed as he ran down the angular hallway, before reaching a set of polished wooden stairs, the screams echoed from a large area of the exhibit, where the area was decorated to look like a scene from Midsummer Night’s Dream, with paper vines and flowers handing from the lights, and nature themed scenery gathered around a stage. “HELP’S COMING!!” 

Alfred carefully ran down the slippery staircase before running into the area, standing in the middle as he tried to figure out where the noises were coming from. His eyes darted around the area, swearing that he could see figures moving in the corners of his eyes. As if timed, everyone in the room began to scream as the hallucinations settled in. Alfred gasped with horror, hearing children amongst the screams… Alfred ran around the area, trying his best to find anything, or anyone he could, he was desperate to at least save SOMEONE. However, he neglected to keep his eyes off the floor, until he felt his shoe press against something soft and warm. Alfred’s eyes widened with horror and shock when he looked down, he felt as though he were about to cry when he saw a small figure curled into a ball by Alfred’s feet, trembling with fear… Alfred fell to his knees to take a closer look, realising that it was a young girl, wearing a dark school uniform, she couldn’t have been anything older than ten years old… Alfred realised now that she must be only one of many children who are scattered around the area, and his heart ached. 

“Hey honey, can you hear me?” Alfred asked as he hovered over the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying his best to not scare her. Some kind of fatherly instinct awakened in him when he saw the terror in the young girl’s eyes, she stared directly into nothing with eyes filled with terror and pain, like it had paralysed her. Alfred felt her arms tense as he patted her arm. “Ok sweetie, I’m gonna pick you up, ok?” Alfred explained, but as soon as he tried to lift her, she started to scream and fight him, not realising that he was there to help. Alfred froze as he laid by him screaming in fear. Alfred frowned as he made a choice… He pulled the plastic mask from his head, before placing it on her own, “Breathe into this, hon, you’ll be out soon!” Alfred finally picked her up and carried her through the area. Finally, he noticed more people on the floor as he walked around, he pulled more people off the floor along the way, and led them up the stairs. 

“EVERYONE WHO CAN STILL HEAR ME!!” Alfred yelled, his voice no longer being held back by the mask, “FOLLOW MY VOICE, THE STAIRS ARE HERE!! COME TO MY VOICE IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME!!!” Alfred screamed so loudly, his lungs began to hurt, however his efforts seemed to pay off, people who were sane enough to listen were following him, a group of people followed him up the staircase, realising that he has spent too long breathing in the gas, as he felt it sting his throat and make his head spin.  
“YOU’RE NEARLY OUT! THIS WAY!” Alfred announced as he ran through the hallway exhibit, stopping right before he reached the door to the café and gift shop. “Ok honey, you are safe from here, just go outside and there will be people who can help you.” 

The girl didn’t reply as Alfred set her on the ground and she shakily rose to her feet, Alfred smiled down at her before turning around, watching more people follow Alfred’s path and make their escape. However, the screams of more people from downstairs haunted him, he still had so much to do…. 

He looked down to see the child looking at him, with his gas mask in her hand, “Thank you,” Alfred murmured as he took the gas mask, and placed it on his head, patting hers in thanks, before he started to run back down the hallway.  
As he ran down the hallway, he knew now that there was no way he could back down, he was going to save as many people as he could. Those screams called him as they echoed through the hallway, calling Alfred to save them, and he was not going to let them down. 

However, one false step at the top of the staircase ruined his heroic stride, and sent him tumbling down the polished wood staircase, his face colliding with the wood many times by the time he reached the bottom of the staircase. Alfred’s vision blurred as he groaned in pain as he pulled himself from the floor, gasping when he tasted the familiar stink of the gas… With his eyes wide with shock Alfred pulled the gas mask off his face, realising that it had been broken, with a huge tear in the bottom half of the mask compromising the whole thing. 

Alfred was now faced with a dilemma, he knew that if he left now; he would be leaving these people behind… But if he could save just one more person… It’s one more person that he didn’t leave behind… One less nightmare for him to have…  
Besides, Alfred rationalised, he knows where the exit is, he can get away if it becomes too much. 

Alfred rose from the floor, leaving his mask behind as he ran further into the area, lifting the collar of his shirt high enough to cover his mouth and nose, trying his best to at least filter his breathing. Even with his breathing being controlled, he still could not remain focussed through the pain in his neck and head. He quickly became disorientated when he ran through a thick cloud of gas, feeling its coldness wrap around his entire body. The entire area became silent, like the gas was starting to silence people… Alfred had never felt so alone before as he ran through the area, struggling to control his breathing and perform the exercise at the same time. 

He slowly started to become terrified, he didn’t know whether people were running through the gas, or they were just figures of his imagination. Alfred began to panic as he dreaded the idea of regretting his choice. He tried to run back to where he thought the staircase was, only to be hit by the painful reality of realising that where he thought where the staircase was, is not where it was. 

“Fuck!! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!!” Alfred screamed, feeling the panic set in, he isn’t really lost, is he?! He’s supposed to be a hero right now, he can’t be a victim! Not again! Thoughts of self-doubt and pain echoed through his mind like the screams around him… he is supposed to be helping people right now, he is supposed to free people from this nightmare: not become trapped in it himself! 

What the hell was he thinking…? Thinking that he could redeem himself after Matthew’s death… He wasn’t a hero, he wasn’t worthy of anything… slowly, the weight of those thoughts began to tear him apart…  
Alfred’s eyes widened when he realised that his nightmare was only beginning, he had made a mistake… He shouldn’t have come back, he should have been satisfied with the work he had done, he could have helped more if he returned with Arthur!  
But now, all he could do was regret his decision as he delved into a world of nightmares that not even Shakespeare could create… 

Within a couple of minutes, Alfred felt himself shudder involuntarily, he could feel the poison travel through his throat and into his lungs, infecting him more and more with every breath. 

Alfred jumped back and screamed when a dark figure dashed past him in the gas, and Alfred didn’t know whether it was another victim of the fog, or a figment of his imagination. Alfred felt the panic set in as he gritted his teeth and gripped his hair, terrified of what nightmare awaited him. He ran through the exhibit, desperate to find a way out, forgetting about the importance of timing his breath and so as he ran, he only breathed in more of the gas.  
Suddenly, Alfred stopped running to cough loudly, feeling the gas start to take its effect on him… an overwhelming sense of dread clouded over his judgement, and he fell into an emotional put of despair and hopelessness, like all the light that was within him had been blown out… He was pushed back to the dark emotional state he was in when he first lost Matthew… 

Alfred sighed as he lifted his head, determined to keep going, but he froze when he saw a figure standing by the pillars that stood a couple of feet away… 

Alfred froze with fear as he stared at the character, instantly feeling a chill swallow him whole, and he became completely powerless. 

The figure stared at him with eyes empty of life, but full of anger… He stood tall within the gas, staring directly into Alfred’s soul, trapping him in his gaze like a fly to a spider’s web. Alfred was powerless to his stare, he couldn’t look away from the face that he loved so much, and never thought that he would ever see again. 

However, what stood out was not only the anger in his dead eyes, but the physical wounds on his body. He looked as though he had just walked out of the rubble of McArthur High School. He was missing an entire section of his jaw as well as his entire right arm, and multiple cuts and lasserations could be seen all over his body. Blood oozed from the wounds and onto his clothing, his skin was also pale and his body was dirty, with the blood being the only spot of colour on his entire body. 

“Matt…” Alfred whimpered, feeling the urge to cry overcame him, completely forgetting about the world around him as he stared at his dead best friend. Alfred trembled as his façade of bravery, charm and happiness cracked open, leaving behind the fragile, terrified and weak man that hid beneath. 

Matthew didn’t say anything, but watched as Alfred slowly started to lose his composure, just the sight of Matthew completely destroyed Alfred. Alfred’s shoulders shook as his face twitched and his eyes filled to the brink of tears… He couldn’t hold himself together anymore, and realised a loud whimper as he lost his battle with his tears. 

“Matt… I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have left you behind… I…” 

As Alfred spoke, Matthew began to shuffle his feet, slowly making his way towards where Alfred stood, his intense stare not faltering once as Alfred broke. 

“Matt, please, forgive me!!” Alfred sobbed, becoming more and more horrified of what stood before him, completely forgetting where he was and what was real. He was lost to the world of his hallucination. “PLEASE!!! I’M SO SORRY!!!” Alfred screamed as he fell to his knees and cried louder than he had in months. “MATT!!! I’M SORRY!!! I’M SO SORRY!!!” 

Alfred shook uncontrollably as he felt Matthew getting closer, he could feel the cold and dreading presence of his friend.  
No matter how much Alfred had healed from his emotional and mental pain, Alfred was still weak, he still cried and he still believed that Matthew’s death was his fault…. And now it was destroying him. Alfred screamed loudly as he curled forward, crying loudly as he felt Matthew standing before him, watching as Alfred was reduced to nothing. “IT’S ALL MY FAULT!!” 

Alfred slowly looked up, wanting to see Matthew’s face, at least one last time… However, he jumped back and screamed in horror when he saw thousands of dark eyes staring at him from every angle. They were all sharp and stared at him with so much hate and judgement, Alfred could not look away as he crawled away, unable to control himself. 

It was then that he remembered, “THIS ISN’T REAL!! THIS ISN’T REAL!!! FUCK!!!” Alfred screamed in terror as he felt to his back, seeing that the eyes were suddenly close to him, and dark hands were reaching his him, wanting to grab him and scratch him. “NO!! LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU’RE NOT REAL!! YOU’RE NOT FUCKING REAL!! MATT!! MATT!!” Alfred released a loud scream he stared at the ceiling and breathed deeply, struggling to think properly, feeling himself slip closer towards madness.

“ALFRED!!” A familiar voice cried, and within seconds, the monsters had disappeared, and Alfred was rescued by an angel. It was Arthur… Alfred’s eyes widened when he saw Arthur’s staring down at him, holding Alfred tightly in his arms, on the verge of tears himself, before he quickly became angry, “WHERE IS YOUR MASK!?” 

“Arthur…” Alfred whimpered as he gripped Arthur’s arms, holding him in fear of losing him, Alfred trembled as Arthur pulled his own mask off. 

“Breathe!!” Arthur snapped as he pressed the gas against Alfred’s face, letting him breath in the filtered air as Arthur helped him off of the floor. “Don’t you fall on me! Oh God, Alfred! What happened to you?!” 

“Kids are down here…” Alfred grumbled as he leaned against Arthur’s shoulders, letting most of his weight fall onto Arthur, confident that Arthur was strong enough to hold him. And he was right. Alfred was pleased to see that officers started to flood the area, all of them wearing gas masks. 

“You hallucinated, didn’t you?!” Arthur asked, his voice full of fear and anger, “Oh God, we need to get you to a paramedic, right---“  
Arthur paused as he stared at the floor in front of the wooden staircase, before bending down and showing Alfred his broken gas mask. Arthur’s eyes broke Alfred’s heart… His eyes were filled with pain and hurt, asking himself why Alfred’s mask was at such a place… But it took Arthur very little time to figure it out, and frown at Alfred, “You went back in when your mask broke…?”

“I’m sorry…” Alfred wheezed as Arthur helped him up the stairs, where the gas became noticeably weaker, the hallways was nearly completely free of gas, and he could see the sunlight coming from outside. “Arthur…” 

“Just… Tell me that you’re getting better,” Arthur grumbled. 

“I am, I feel better, it was a little hallucination…” Alfred murmured, still shuddering at the mental image of Matthew, remembering how real it felt, and how much pain he was in. He didn’t know whether he was struggling to walk from exhaustion, or if he was still in shock. 

“Why did you stay in there without your mask!?” Arthur asked as he walked Alfred through the café, which was now completely free from gas, “I can’t believe you did that!” 

Alfred’s eyes dimmed as he looked to Arthur, seeing his angry stare break, “There were kids down there…” 

Arthur’s face tensed as he led Alfred out of the Globe Theatre, pained by Alfred’s admission; but he continued to lead Alfred towards the closest ambulance that was attending the scene, catching the attention of a paramedic. 

“How long were you in there?” Arthur asked.

“I dunno, probably ten minutes…” Alfred admitted, “maybe fifteen, I don’t know how long I was breathing it in for, could be twenty.”

“Fucking hell…” Arthur grumbled as he helped sit Arthur down by the paramedic, who knew immediately what to do, letting Alfred sit on the bumper of the ambulance. 

“Just check him quickly, he’s with MI5,” Arthur explained, ensuring that Alfred would become a priority. 

“I heard you say twenty minutes, so minimum exposure…” the paramedic explained as he looked into Alfred’s eyes, “pupils constricted, can you see me right now?”

“Yes.” Alfred answered as the paramedic flashed a small light into Alfred’s eyes, checking if they dilated normally. 

“Can you breathe normally for me?” The paramedic asked as he pressed his stethoscope against Alfred’s chest, “rapid and shallow.” And then he took Alfred’s wrist, “weak pulse, dizziness: you’re in shock right now.” 

“Yeah, I can feel it...” Alfred admitted, “I still feel really dizzy.” 

“I think you should have a blood test, we don’t know what that gas is or what it does yet…” 

“Will he be ok?” Arthur asked, nervously watching the pair with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“He’s not the worst of what’s been dragged out of there… others are completely unconscious, or completely delusional. But since we don’t know what the gas does to the body yet, we can’t say… We’ll need to keep an eye on him…” The paramedic explained, “going in there without a mask was a bad idea.” Arthur huffed at the doctor’s observation, loud enough to catch Alfred’s attention. 

“I couldn’t just leave those people in there!” Alfred responded, watching the Englishman as he paced impatiently behind the paramedic, “I had to do something!”  
Arthur and Alfred froze and watched silently as another victim was led out of the globe theatre, he was screaming in agony and terror as the police tried to lead him out. He was pulling against the policeman’s grip like he was a monster, screaming absolute horror and pain, it made Arthur shudder before he frowned and looked back to Alfred. “That could have been you.” 

“You seem fine right now…” The paramedic explained, “But I want you to make regular doctor visits, we don’t know anything about this gas yet.” 

“Fine, I’ll make sure of it, thank you for your help,” Arthur nodded before shaking the paramedics hand, letting him run off to assist someone else. Arthur stood in front of Alfred with his arms crossed over his chest. “Alfred… I…” 

“I know, it was stupid…” Alfred sighed. 

“I want you to stay with me again tonight. I don’t want you to be alone until we know exactly what this gas does to people,” Arthur explained, and Alfred wasn’t going to complain. 

Despite how hard he tried to think about anything else, Alfred still could not stop shaking, thinking about the things he saw, and his horrifying hallucination. 

\------------- 

Despite the air clearing around the Globe Theatre, back at the MI5 office, the impact of the chaos was only getting stronger, even the day after, it was still causing tension among the agents. 

Gilbert and Ludwig’s emotional investment in the case was large, as the physical toll that the case had on the brothers was immensely obvious. They had dark circles under their eyes, they drank more coffee, they were quitter and became agitated faster. The atmosphere in the office had become intense after the attack, no matter how many explanations were offered, no one felt as though they were getting any closer to finding Feliciano or his kidnappers, and now so much more was at stake. 

“I already told you, Alfred and I didn’t see the shooter, or the kidnappers faces! “Arthur hissed at Gilbert, becoming tired of his repetitive questioning, the stress was even starting to strain Arthur. “We were riding past the Globe when our tyre was shot. We were AMBUSHED.” 

“They shooter must have been near the entrance, waiting for us,” Alfred added. 

“How are you still here?!” Gilbert snapped at Alfred, “Why are you not in hospital?!” 

“I’m looking after him!” Arthur explained. 

“Hey, both of you, calm down!” Yao snapped, “Bickering isn’t going to solve anything, clear your heads!” 

“Fine.” Gilbert muttered before looking to Kiku, “Is there any news about the glass?” 

“Not much, we don’t know much because we don’t have access to the patients, they’ve all been put into comas… some didn’t stop hallucinating for an hour and a half after. All we know about the gas is that it isn’t flammable...” Kiku sighed, “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything new.” 

“Shit…” Gilbert grumbled, “Fucking hell, where’s Ludwig?” 

“Your office,” Yao murmured, not even looking up from his computer, “I think he needs some time alone…” 

Gilbert closed his eyes and breathed deeply before opening his eyes and looking at Arthur, “I organised a Skype interview with Ivan’s sisters. Can you do that for me?” 

Arthur nodded, understanding why, and understanding that Ludwig and Gilbert need some time to sort themselves out. Perhaps Gilbert has overestimated Ludwig’s ability to handle such an emotionally tasking case…  
For now, all Arthur can do is his best, and hope that this mystery can be solved before more people get hurt…


	7. Chapter 7

“Arthur…” Gilbert murmured as he walked over to where Arthur and Alfred stood, preparing to head into Arthurs office to compare their notes about what happened in the Globe Theatre, to build a timeline of events. “Can you do me a favour?” 

“Mm,” Arthur nodded. 

“I organised a skype interview with Natalia and Irina Braginski that starts in ten minutes, but… I think Ludwig needs me right now, do you mind taking care of it for me? I have all the questions written out, and a translator is going to be with them. I’m sorry, I would do it myself, but…”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll do it. Take care of Ludwig…” Arthur replied, “Just give me the questions and I’ll handle it.” 

“Thank you, I owe you one,” Gilbert thanked, patting his hand on Arthur’s shoulders. 

“How’s Ludwig doing?” Alfred asked, his eyes wide with concern. 

“He’s just having a hard time with the case, I think we both underestimated how emotionally painful this was going to be for him. Feliciano is his world…” Gilbert sighed, shoving his hands into his suit pockets, before looking at Alfred, “I think he wanted to be as strong as you. He watched you stay on task when Matthew was kidnapped, and thought that he could do it like you did… But… I think he’s been taken by surprise.” 

“That’s because Ludwig only saw me when I was at work, when I was trying my hardest to hold myself together. But, I was a mess at home and behind closed doors; the only thing that kept me getting out of bed in the morning was knowing that Matt was going to be strong and waiting for me to find him…” Alfred explained. “I know that Feli is doing the same. He knows Ludwig, and he knows that Ludwig will stop at nothing to find him. If you think it’d help him, I’ll happily talk to him about it.” 

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Gilbert replied before looking back to Arthur, “Thanks again for taking the interview, everything is set up in the spare office.”

“Right,” Arthur murmured as he started to make his way to the spare office, “Alfred, do you want to help me?” 

“Right,” Alfred nodded, following Arthur towards the small, spare office room. For the sake of the interview, a projector was set up, displaying the skype screen on the wall. As Gilbert said, a list of all of the questions on a piece of paper, next to the laptop that was connected to the projector. Arthur sighed as he took a seat, and Alfred sat next to him. “About the Globe Theatre… I… I want you to keep going to the doctor; I want to know if there are any effects of breathing in that toxin.” 

“It’s been two days, I feel fine,” Alfred pointed out, “I don’t want you to worry.” 

“Of course I’m going to worry,” Arthur pointed out as he read through the questions, “I saw you screaming on the ground surrounded in gas, I was livid. I thought someone had hurt you and took your mask.” 

“Arthur…” 

“You scared me…” Arthur grumbled, tightening his grip on the paper, crinkling the edges. Arthur had already lost so many people… Even at this early stage in their relationship, Arthur couldn’t bear to lose Alfred. 

“But there were kids in there, I couldn’t have just left!” Alfred argued, “I get that you were scared, and what I did was a bit stupid, but I’m fine: I swear.” 

“But we don’t know that,” Arthur grumbled, “We don’t know what’s in that gas, and we both saw what it did to Feliciano, if you are hurt; I don’t know what I’m going to do… I can’t lose you too… What if it does something to you later on? What if it gives you cancer? What if it---” 

“Arthur, look at me,” Alfred muttered, and Arthur looked to him as the American leaned into Arthur closely, “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, kay? No gas is going to take me away, you’re stuck with me.” 

Arthur’s rough exterior broke as he chuckled slightly, trying his best to avoid Alfred’s gaze, but the American would not let him go. Blushing as Alfred kissed his cheeks as Arthur tried to look at him, “Alfred, we’re at work…” 

Alfred sighed happily as he retreated, “Can I come over again tonight?”

“I’m fine with that, another sleepover?” 

“If you don’t mind, I don’t know what it is about you, but with you; I’ve been getting better sleep than I have in months,” Alfred admitted. 

Arthur had to admit, on the nights that Alfred spends with him, Arthur’s sleep has improved, he does not lie awake for as long and he does not wake up as often from nightmares. They hadn’t even had sex yet, but spending nights asleep in Alfred’s arms brought Arthur to a state of calm.

Arthur nodded in agreement, turning his head to look at Alfred, opening his mouth to say something else, however, he was interrupted by the skype ringtone. Immediately all of his attention was drawn towards the laptop, where he could see that they were being contacted over skype. 

“Alright, so, you’re coming home with me tonight,” Arthur murmured as he clicked on the answer button. 

“Looking forward to it,” Alfred agreed as Arthur answered the Skype call. Now the projector was showing the footage from the Skype call, revealing three people sitting at a desk in a small room. Two women were sitting the middle, both were pretty blonde women, and Arthur could instantly tell that they were related to the infamous Ivan Braginski. The youngest one, who Arthur knew was Natalia, stared blankly at the screen with her arms crossed over her chest, her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders and her violet floral dress. Irina looked much more welcoming than her younger sister, wearing a shy smile as she stared at the camera, sitting with her back straight, revealing her white blouse and blue cardigan and a hairclip held back her short blonde hair. 

“Good afternoon,” Arthur started greeting the sisters and their translator. Instantly, the female translator repeated Arthur’s statement in their native language. 

After listening to what the sisters said, the translator turned to look at Arthur, “They say hello too.” 

“My name is Agent Arthur Kirkland and this is my partner, Agent Alfred Jones; and we will be conducting the interview today. We are sorry to bother you, but I’m sure that you’ve heard that people associated with Ivan are active in London, and we need to ask you a couple of questions about Ivan and his past,” Arthur explained.   
As soon as the translator, Natalia burst out, speaking loudly, and looking at the translator as she motioned towards Arthur, even without speaking a word of their language, Arthur could tell that she was upset. 

“Natalia explains that this happens every year,” The translator explained, “Every year someone from a government agency wants to speak to them about Ivan. They haven’t been involved with Ivan in years, and haven’t seen him in nearly a decade, they don’t know anything that he’s done nor who he’s currently affiliated with. The only contact they had with Ivan was when he sent them birthday cards. Natalia is upset that this hasn’t stopped, even after Ivan’s death.” 

“We understand why she is upset, however, we don’t want to know about him right now, we want to know about his past. Whoever is doing this now was very close to Ivan and we suspect that they are from his past,” Arthur explained. 

After listening to Irina and Natalia speak, the translator spoke, “They barely knew who Ivan hung out with when he was a child. Irina points out that he had friends from all over the world coming over, it could be anyone.” 

“Was there anyone who was constantly there? Or someone who they believe that Ivan maintained his relationship with?” Arthur asked, occasionally glancing down to Gilberts notes, making sure to look like he knew what he was doing: he had to remain professional. “Did anyone stand out?” 

Once again, Natalia appeared upset, however, things became interesting when Irina stepped in, placing her hand on Natalia’s arm, speaking as though she was reminding her of something, instantly, the translator became very intrigued, looking to Alfred and Arthur after their short discussion. “At first, they protested that they didn’t know anyone, however, Irina pointed out that there was someone who kept appearing in photos and Ivan’s phone discussions with them.” 

“Do they have a name?” Arthur asked. 

“No, they never knew any of their names, they didn’t know anyone who Ivan was associated with; they only saw one face a couple of times.” The translator explained, “As they said, Ivan gave them no details about what he was doing or the people he was with. He still wanted to protect them.” 

“How precious,” Arthur sighed, “Please tell them to look through all they have, anything would help.” Arthur sighed as he looked through the paper again, trying to determine whether any more of Gilbert’s questions would be useful, however, they all seemed pointless and repetitive after the last point made by the translator. 

After another short discussion, the translator nodded, “they will. They want to also remind all of you that they do not know, nor are they not involved in any way with Ivan’s crime-life. They don’t know anything about past cases or this current one.” 

“Alright, we understand,” Arthur nodded, “We thank you for your time.” 

\------ 

Gilbert silently opened the door to his office, peering inside, seeing that Ludwig was facing away from him. Ludwig had taken one of Gilberts chairs, and brought it to the window, where he sat and leaned against the window-sill. Watching the rain pour over the beautiful city below.   
Despite his silence, Gilbert could tell that Ludwig was suffering on the inside… Gilbert knew that Ludwig only became quiet when he became too sad to cope, otherwise he would be doing all he could to find the solution. He has only seen Ludwig act like this when their dog died when they were kids. 

Gilbert knew that Ludwig was strong enough to handle this case, he’s just…. The emotional weight of it is just more than either of them anticipated. But Gilbert knew that Ludwig was capable of great things… He’s just having a hard time getting on his feet, especially because the case revolved around someone he loves so dearly. 

“How are you feeling?” Gilbert asked in German, using their own language in their privacy as he crossed his arms over Ludwig’s shoulders before bending down to lean on Ludwig, watching out the window like he was. Ludwig grumbled something inaudible, but Gilbert could tell that he was hurting. “Do you need to go home and rest?” 

“No. I’m fine… I just need a minute,” Ludwig replied. 

“I know it’s hard right now, but if you need to take a break, no one will judge you,” Gilbert pointed out. 

“But he is waiting for me…” Ludwig grumbled, before he suddenly jumped out of his seat, “Shit, I still need to talk to Yao about—“ 

Ludwig was interrupted when Gilbert pushed his younger brother back down into the chair, “if you’re going to stay on this case, you need to be at your best, and in order for that: you need to sleep, eat and stay hydrated.”

“Urh,” Ludwig grumbled, as his head fell into his hands, “How the hell did Alfred do this? His best friend was being held hostage, and he never took any breaks.” 

“That’s because you were around. He told me that behind closed doors, he was struggling. You should speak to him about this, he can help you,” Gilbert pointed out, “but don’t you dare doubt for a second that we aren’t going to find Feliciano, and he’s going to be safe.” 

“He better be,” Ludwig grumbled. 

“Think about how happy he’ll be when he sees you in London, you came all this way to find him.”

“Of course I did, I love him.” 

“I know you do, Luddy,” Gilbert replied, “now, look after yourself from now on, and we’ll find him sooner.” 

“Right…” 

“And if you ever need to talk—“ 

“I know, I know, come to you.” 

Gilbert chuckled as he patted Ludwig on the shoulder, smiling down at him, “Exactly, that’s what big brothers are for.” 

“GILBERT!” Kiku gasped as he rushed into Gilberts office, pale as though he had just seen a ghost, “Get out here, now! Elizabeta is on the news!” 

“WHAT?!” Gilbert roared as he and Ludwig followed Kiku out of Gilberts office, “What do you mean, my wife is on the news?!” 

Kiku didn’t have to reply, as he brothers joined Kiku and Yao in standing in front of the TV that was installed on the wall. The news was playing, and as Gilbert suspected, they were talking about the disaster at the Globe Theatre. Not much information had been released yet, so there was still a lot of speculation as to whether it was an accident, or an attack. 

Gilbert’s eyes widened with shock when he saw his news-reporter wife standing on a street in Southbank, holding a microphone up to her pretty face as her wide green eyes stared at the camera. To Gilbert’s horror, her full name ‘Elizabeta Beilschmidt’ was lined across the bottom, before slowly disappearing as he began to speak. 

“Fuck! How did she not get my message!?!” Gilbert hissed. “She can’t be on the air right now! Especially not reporting on this!!” 

“Why’s that?” Yao asked. 

“Her name: as soon as the kidnappers see the name ‘Beilschmidt’ she’ll have an instant target on her back!!” Gilbert exclaimed as Alfred and Arthur slowly made their way out of the office. “If they see this, they’re going to hunt her down!” 

“Go get her, now,” Ludwig said to Gilbert and instantly, Gilbert ran out of the office, leaving the others to gather around the TV and watch the developing news. 

“It is still unclear as to whether this was a ventilation disaster or an intentional attack. Reports have surfaced of gunshots being fired in front of the Globe Theatre, with witnesses saying that two motorcyclists were riding along Southbank. Currently no suspects have been named and the investigation is ongoing,” Elizabeta explained, revealing her thick and sweet Hungarian accent. “So far over fifty people remain in hospital, and the number of those in intensive care are on the rise, with conditions increasingly becoming worse as more symptoms become clear.” 

Arthur frowned when he felt Alfred squeeze his hand subtly. 

“Is it clear what caused this? Any word from the police?” 

“Currently the investigation is in its early stages, with very little information actually being released, despite the public outcry for information,” Elizabeta explained. “It is still unclear as to whether this was an accident or something more sinister.” 

“Is Gilbert right in assuming that they’ll try to kidnap his wife?” Alfred asked. 

“She is emotional leverage, and she is at risk of knowing more than any normal hostage. They could try to get information out of her,” Kiku explained. 

“But would she actually know anything about the case?” Arthur asked. 

“Of course not, even though Gilbert is her husband; he tells her nothing about his work,” Kiku replied 

“Heh, I still find it funny how he’s married to a reporter, and all of his work is top secret,” Yao chuckled.

“Ha! They’re like Louis Lane and Clark Kent!!” Alfred burst, earning a slight chuckle from everyone who understood his superman reference. 

\------ 

It was another slow night, Arthur had spent the rest of the work day writing up an extremely detailed summary of Arthur’s interview with Ivan’s sisters. Arthur was confident that Ivan’s sisters are not involved in this case in any way, shape or form. Ivan loved them, and so he protected them by keeping them out of his life. Arthur understood why, Ivan had a life filled with danger, deceit and violence, no brother would want his sisters knowing anything about it. Besides, it also protected him, their lack of knowledge meant that they could not say anything. 

Arthur sighed as he walked out of his bedroom, wearing only his pyjama pants and an old t-shirt. He could hear the TV playing in the living room as he walked down the hallway, but he could also hear Charlie meowing… 

“Alfred?” Arthur asked, peering out of the hallway and into the living area, where he saw Alfred sitting on the couch, looking at his phone as Charlie purred against his legs. Alfred hadn’t even gotten out of his work clothes yet, wearing his white shirt, black tie and black pants, with his suit jacket hanging over the couch. However, Alfred still looked defeated. 

However, instantly Arthur could tell that there was something wrong with Alfred, he was far too silent and still, like a statue, staring directly at his phone. Alfred’s eyes were pained, as he stared at what was on his screen, Arthur frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. He could tell what was going through Alfred’s mind: he was depressed again, he knew that Alfred was fine during most of the day, but he could instantly tell when Alfred was going through a moment of weakness. It most likely had to do with Matthew….

Arthur sighed, seeing that Alfred was so transfixed, he hadn’t even noticed that he wasn’t alone: he hadn’t even noticed Charlie. Alfred was usually so strong and so ‘together’, but even superheroes have their moments of weakness and doubt. Arthur knew exactly what Alfred was going through; he had periods like this almost daily; moments where the world seemed so bleak and there was nothing warm inside. He was feeling empty, depressed and hopeless; he looked as though he was about to cry. However, Arthur knew that Alfred wasn’t an emotional mess like him; Alfred managed to get a grip on his problem before it developed into PTSD. Arthur didn’t need to be a phycologist to see that he and Alfred were suffering from similar problems, they had both experienced devastating trauma that had left them shaken and defeated; but what made them different was that Arthur refused to open up to those around him, whereas Alfred accepted all of the love and support from those around him. However, Arthur knew that Alfred still had moments where the emotional pain became too much for him to stand alone… And that’s why Arthur was there. 

“Hey…” Arthur murmured as he sat next to Alfred, curling his arm around the American’s shoulders, before resting his head against Alfred’s. 

“I… I’m sorry,” Alfred murmured, showing Alfred what was on his phone. Arthur frowned when he saw Alfred scrolling through pictures of all of the photographs of Matthew in his childhood that the Agents received through the mail. Arthur recognised each one; Matthew sitting on Francis’ lap, Ivan carrying Matthew as he slept. Matthew was only a child, and Francis and Ivan were young men. “I know it’s evidence, but… I just couldn’t help myself.” 

“It’s ok…” Arthur murmured, holding Alfred tightly, hearing the pain in his voice, “How are you feeling?”

“… Not good…” Alfred muttered, leaning into Arthur, “I’m sorry.” 

“No, it’s ok, it’s good you’re here then,” Arthur explained, patting Alfred’s hair as the American held onto him around the hips.

It was good that Alfred and Arthur were together tonight, it seemed like Alfred could use the support. Even though they had only been doing this for a couple of nights, they have come to love sleeping with each other. Arthur already loved falling asleep in Alfred’s arms. Even if he did wake up from a nightmare, the fact that he woke up and Alfred was there made him feel safe, it made the nightmares less scary, and he could fall asleep quicker as well. Arthur hadn’t slept this well in months, and he knew that it was all because of Alfred. So he could only imagine the good that his presence was doing for Alfred. 

“I’m just feeling really… low…” Alfred admitted. 

“And that’s ok,” Arthur replied, giving Alfred a light kiss on the top of his head, “and it’ll all be ok, I promise…”

“T-thank for letting me stay tonight,” Alfred muttered. 

“I can see that you need it,” Arthur admitted, “But… I have to admit, I enjoy having you around.” 

Without another word, Alfred looked up at Arthur with narrow, but interested eyes; even Arthur was reduced to silence as he closed his eyes as Alfred leaned into him until their lips met. Slowly, Arthur accepted Alfred’s kiss as he changed his position on the couch to make it easier, melting into Alfred’s arms. Alfred sat up properly and Arthur hooked his arm over Alfred’s shoulders, feeling the American’s hands wander slowly up his back. 

Alfred grunted softly as he pushed himself onto Arthur, pressing him deeper into a couch as their kiss deepened, and Arthur placed his hands on the back of Alfred’s head, holding him closely. Arthur suddenly pounced forward, purring as he pressed Alfred’s back into the couch running his hands down Alfred’s cheeks as his tongue lightly graced Alfred’s lips. Arthur smiled as he felt Alfred’s hands hold his back firmly, keeping him in place as Alfred adjusted, positioning himself underneath Arthur, with his legs hanging off the edge of the couch. 

While they were kissing, Arthur could sense Alfred’s pain, and could tell that he was distracting himself, but even then, Arthur was happy to provide all that he could to keep Alfred happy. He was not going to let himself lose Alfred, not now, and not so soon into their new relationship. This was the second chance with Alfred that Arthur was not going to throw away. Arthur had already lost Alfred once, and he was not going to let that happen again. 

Arthur purred as he kissed a line across Alfred’s cheek, making his way down to his neck, determined to explore this new territory. Alfred reacted positively, placing his hand on Arthur’s shoulder and squeezing it tightly as Arthur started to slowly kiss the side of his neck. The way Alfred gasped sounded so cute to Arthur, and he wondered why he hadn’t done this sooner. 

“Um, Charlie is staring at us, like, real hard,” Alfred admitted, drawing Arthur’s attention away from Alfred’s neck and to his cat, who was sitting on the rug in front of the couch, watching his master and his boyfriend with such intensity, even Arthur became a little concerned. 

“Ugh, Charlie, shoo; hop in your bed,” Arthur grumbled as he shooed his cat with his hand, despite Arthur’s order, the cat continued to stay there and stare. “Jesus Christ, Charlie.” 

“Maybe we should go to bed now, it’s getting late, and… it’ll be more comfortable if we do this there,” Alfred suggested. 

“Mm…” Arthur murmured as he pulled himself from Alfred, before taking the Americans soft hand, and leading him down the hall and towards the bedroom, eagerly anticipating the resuming of their kissing session. Or, who knows? Maybe more will happen tonight. 

\-------- 

In their three years of married, Elizabeta has never seen Gilbert so stressed… but then again, the victim is someone he knows, as far as Elizabeta can tell, and because she has seen Ludwig without his boyfriend, Elizabeta can guess who it is… The reporter within her could not help but be curious…

Of course she doesn’t say anything, before she and Gilbert got married, they promised to leave their work lives out of the house. She’s a reporter, and he works for MI6; two opposite professions where one hides secrets and the other exposes them: their marriage is almost comical in a way. 

However, she knew something was wrong when Gilbert barraged in on her crew after they finished a live reporting of the Globe Theatre disaster. His presence and fear told her that their work lives have collided… He explained that she can’t be on the air for a while, there are people who will want to hurt her if they see her name and realise their links to him. 

Never before have Gilbert and Elizabeta have to take such serious precautions before… Could this have something to do with Feliciano’s disappearance?   
It was late at night and the news bulletin was still talking about the disaster, however, another reporter had taken her place, and what was her live recording had to be reshot so it could be replayed for the news bulletin. She listened as her co-worker read what was supposed to be Elizabeta’s report. Of course, Gilbert explained to her why he had to pull her away from being associated with the disaster at the Globe Theatre; but it didn’t stop her from being upset about it. 

She looked at the clock, seeing that it was around ten at night, not even on busy nights would Gilbert stay out this late, at least not without a warning. She started making dinner for him, but now she was worried about him being home too late to eat it… 

Suddenly, she heard her phone vibrating from the kitchen bench, she turned away from the stove to fetch it. As she thought, it was a message from Gilbert: ‘On my way home, see you soon. Stay inside.’ 

Elizabeta frowned, even in text she could tell that he wasn’t in a good mood. Before this case had begun, a simple text like this wold involve a novels worth of emoji’s and enough I love you’s to have Elizabeta giggling like a teenage girl. 

Gilbert’s change has been slow, over the past month she has watched him become more and more closed-off and cold… She missed the man she married, however; she understood that this was because something was hurting him, and it was something that she isn’t allowed to know. She hoped that she could help him, even if it’s just a little bit, but even she didn’t have the faintest clue how. 

On top of that, she had a secret of her own, she glanced to her bag as the meal before her cooked on the stove, and she could see the box of pregnancy tests pocking out from the corner of her bag… She knew what the results of the tests will be, however; she wanted to know for sure before telling Gilbert. But… would this news help him right now? Or is the timing too bad…? 

Upon thinking about this, and what it meant for them, Elizabeta put her phone back into her pocket. 

“News of death resulting from the disaster at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre arise more concerns and public outrage, as it is still unclear as to whether this was a devastating accident, or something more sinister,” the news reader explained.

“No…” Elizabeta gapsed, now people are dying because of the disaster. 

“Since three o’clock this afternoon, the Royal London Hospital has confirmed that four people have died as a result of Tuesdays disaster, and over fifty remain in critical condition,” the reporter explained, “this is as the people of London are outraged at the lack of information.” 

Elizabeta blocked out the noise of the reporter, not wanting to hear more as she turned her attention back to her cooking. 

Suddenly, her phone buzzed again, promptly, she took it out of her pocket to check. Once again; it was Gilbert; ‘Is the door locked?’ 

Elizabeta sighed, sad to see how paranoid her husband had become. Was this threat facing them really this bad? Bad enough to have her taken off the air, bad enough for Gilbert to be so worried? Nonetheless, Elizabeta thought that she may as well check, anything to put Gilbert at ease. She slowly walked to the kitchen and to the front door, and sighed with relief when she learned that she had locked the door. But despite this, her earlier thought left her feeling anxious. She tried to rationalise; she’s fine…. 

She walked back into the kitchen, but froze… she noticed the curtains to the windows moving to the breeze of the chilly English wind. She knew that she had left the windows shut… She couldn’t have opened them, which could only mean… she’s not alone… 

Knowing that she was being watched, Elizabeta acted as though she hadn’t noticed the change, humming a song as she turned back to the stove. She glanced over to the kitchen drawer, knowing that she kept all of her sharp knives in here, and she knew that if she could get there just in time, she could have something to defend herself… and then she’ll call for help as soon as she could. She couldn’t take it anymore, she bolted from the stove to the drawer and quickly opened it, but before she could get anything out, she was grabbed by her long brown hair and pulled back towards the stove. 

Elizabeta shrieked, as the man lifted her off of her feet, trying to carry her through the kitchen as she screamed and kicked like a toddler in a tantrum. As he carried her past the stove, she reached for the frying pan filled with chicken and sauce, and attempted to smack her attacker with it, spilling the food all over the floor. However, the mess did her some good, as the attacker slid onto the floor and released his grip on her. 

However, Elizabeta wasn’t going to let him go without some pain, and so she smacked him on the head with her frying pan, before running for the front door, screaming when she remembered that she had locked it, and the keys were in the kitchen, as was the door to the back garden. And so, in a panic, she ran up the stairs, hearing that her attacker was close behind her. She made her way to the master bathroom, where she knew that there was a lock on the door. Without hesitation, she slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it as she took her phone out of her pocket, and without hesitation, she called Gilbert. 

And as she expected, he picked up within two rings, “SOMEONE’S IN THE HOUSE!!” She cried, as she slid to the floor, throwing her head into her hands as the doorhandle shook, and the attacked began to bang the door. Clearly, he wasn’t going to be deterred easily. 

“I’m nearly there!!” Gilbert explained, “Coming down the road now, have you called the police?!” 

“CRAP! NO!” Elizabeta cried, shrieking when the attacker banged hard enough on the door to make her scream. 

“Where are you?!” Gilbert asked. 

“In the bathroom!” She explained, before turning to the door, screaming to the attacker, “GO AWAY!!” Despite how terrified she was, she knew that if he could keep him focussed on her long enough, he will be captured. “PLEASE JUST GO AWAY!!!” 

“LIZ!” Gilbert cried from the phone, “I’M NEARLY THERE, DON’T GO! PLEASE! I’VE TEXTED KIKU, HE’S SENDING THE POLICE HERE NOW!! PLEASE DON’T HANG UP ON ME!! PLEASE DON’T GO!!” She had never heard Gilbert sound so terrified before, she could hear that he was crying… “LIZ! ELIZABETA! TELL ME YOU’RE OK! SAY SOMETHING, PLEASE!! I’M UNLOCKING THE FRONT DOOR NOW, WHERE ARE YOU?!” 

“Please hurry!” Elizabeta whimpered, “I’m in the master bathroom, the one with the lock, he’s still banging on the door!” 

Suddenly, she heard the banging stop, and voices yelling from outside the bathroom, right as red and blue lights started flashing from outside the window. She could finally breathe… 

\---------- 

Alfred gasped as he sucked in a deep breath, unaware that he was in a deep sleep and what he was about to experience was going to be a dream.   
Alfred’s eyes were wide and fearful as he took deep breaths, feeling the toxic gas take root within his lungs as he wanted down a hallway that led to a black door. Alfred didn’t completely understand why he needed to get through that door, he only knew that there was something behind it that he needed to see. The thick gas swarmed around his feet like a river, consuming his feet and lifting as he walked. Alfred pushed on and opened the door, only to freeze at the sight before him. 

It was the MI5 office, except it had lost all of its colour… It reminded Alfred of an old-fashioned movie, with distorted footage and lack of colouring, except for the vibrant red of blood that stained the carpet and walls. 

Alfred shuddered at the sight, as he walked further in, he saw Yao was lying over his desk, with an ugly wound on his back, despite his obvious death, the man’s chocolate brown eyes followed Alfred as he wandered past. Ludwig and Feliciano were on the floor nearby, each with horrid wounds on their chests, and their hands still linked, and like Yao, their eyes followed him. Gilbert was sitting against another desk, with a wound on his chest and his head hunched over, and when he came close enough, Alfred could see that Gilbert was staring at him as well. Gilbert was leaning against the desk that Kiku was hunched over, and with a nasty wound to his neck, blood was still dripping off the edge of the desk. Alfred jumped back when the cloud of fog parted before he stepped forward, and Alfred couldn’t believe it when he saw Ivan and Francis lying on the floor in front of him, wearing the same chest wounds that killed them over a year ago. Their cold stares shook Alfred to the core, forcing the American to turn away from them. Only to be confronted by the sight of a new area, and someone standing with their back to him. 

“Arthur…” Alfred stuttered, terrified of the sight of Arthur standing in the cloud of gas, not moving, and not responding to Alfred’s presence, making Alfred fear the worst, “Arthur…” 

Arthur shuddered as the Englishman fell back, as though struck. Alfred gasped as he ran to Arthur as he fell to the ground, and when Alfred took Arthur into his arms, he saw the grotesque wound that lined Arthur’s throat. Out of every sight that he had seen on his journey, this is the one that made Alfred tremble and cry as he held the Englishman’s head screaming when he saw that Arthur was staring at him. It made Alfred want to be sick.

However, unlike the others, Arthur’s mouth was moving, gasping for air as the gas seeped into Arthur’s mouth, and Arthur looked at him with eyes that begged for help as the blood slid out from his neck wound. But Alfred didn’t have a clue of what to do, at this point he could barely remember his own name. 

Suddenly, Alfred looked up, and he looked to where a figure stood meters away from where Alfred held Arthur’s head. Alfred knew who it was immediately, the male figure stood tall, as though proud of his work, with his face hidden behind a black motorcycle helmet. 

Without another thought Alfred dashed towards the figure, hell-bent on revenge, only to be kicked into a desk, which came crashing to the ground under the force of Alfred’s fall. 

“You cannot stop me,” the voice announced, as the figure revealed a bloodstained knife, “the gas will be released.” 

“NO IT WON’T!” Alfred cried, finally regaining his voice as he rose from the floor and punched the visor of the motorcycle helmet, creating a hole. 

Their fist-fight continued as Alfred struggled to take the knife from the attacker, however, he delivered a strong punch to the figures jaw, knocking the helmet clean off his head, revealing his face. 

Alfred froze as his joints felt weak… he could only stare at the figures face with shock and horror as he felt the knife slide into his stomach, sending shivers of pain through Alfred’s entire body. 

“Matt…” Alfred whimpered, trembling as he stared at the face of his dead best friend, Matthew sighed as he pulled his knife out of Alfred, letting the American fall to his knees. 

“The answers are all right in front of you,” Matthew explained as he turned his back to Alfred and began to walk away. Alfred gasped in pain as he tried to move forward, desperate to reach his friend, “You need to look at what is around you and question what is really supposed to be there.” 

“Matt…” Alfred wheezed. 

“I forgive you, Alfred…” Matthew sighed, “However, your nightmare will never end and everyone you love will fall to their knees and scream as the enemy strikes them from behind.” 

“Please…” Alfred wheezed as his knees became weak, and the American fell to his side, writhing in pain. 

“And it will be too late…” 

Alfred’s eyes immediately shot open as he took in a deep breath of fresh air, hearing a buzzing noise take him away from his nightmare. Alfred had returned to Arthur’s bedroom, and turned his head to see Arthur sleeping beside him, his hand resting on Alfred’s bare chest, and his warm skin heating Alfred’s entire body. Alfred took a deep breath as he turned to face Arthur, snaking his hand across Arthur’s torso, wanting to hold him closely as his heart raced. However, Alfred quickly realised that the room was brighter than it should be, and there was a light coming from Arthur’s bedside table that lit the entire room. 

“Arthur…” Alfred murmured as he reached over his English boyfriend to reach for his phone, seeing that Gilbert was calling Arthur’s phone. 

Arthur groaned in response as he wrapped his arm around Alfred and buried his head into Alfred’s chest. But Alfred refused to let Arthur miss this call. 

“It’s Gilbert,” Alfred pointed out as Arthur squinted when he saw the phone’s light, “it’d be a bit weird if I answered. 

Arthur muttered something incoherent as he took the phone and answered the call, trying to sound as composed and awake as possible, “Kirkland.” 

“Grab Alfred and get to Scotland Yard, NOW,” Alfred could hear Gilbert explain, “We caught someone.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want more chapters faster? Please leave a comment and make a writers day

Despite his nightmare and lack of sleep, Alfred did his best to ignore any fears he had as he and Arthur quickly got ready to meet Alfred at Scotland Yard. And despite the cup of coffee, Alfred had to fight the urge to fall asleep in the car, even Arthur was surprised that Gilbert had called for them so early. 

However, Alfred couldn’t deny the fact that he felt dizzy, and Arthur’s driving did not help it. But he always blamed it on his tiredness. He also felt sick, but of course he knew that if he told Arthur about it, he’d overreact. Surly this has nothing to do with the gas, Alfred’s just tired, maybe he’s getting a cold too. Whatever, it’s nothing for him to worry over; there’s no time to worry. 

“What was it that Gilbert said again?” Alfred asked, trying to break the silence between him and Arthur. 

“He just said that they caught someone, he was in a rush so he didn’t say much…” Arthur admitted, “He probably wants me to interrogate the suspect with him.” 

“Heh, do you have a good cop – bad cop routine?” Alfred asked. 

“Yes, I just wish he waited until later in the morning,” Arthur chuckled, “But I guess that we need to act on this as soon as possible.” 

“What are we going to tell Gilbert if he asks about where I’ve been?” Alfred asked, “Are we going to tell him about us?” 

“Well…” Arthur murmured, “He can’t say shit, because of Ludwig and Feliciano… But…” 

“I get it, I’m here for a case. But I know that he and Ludwig think I stay in the apartment. Ludwig told me that he comes back later and leaves earlier than me, and says that he doesn’t want to disturb me. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I haven’t been there much…” 

“Well, I suppose that Gilbert would be fine with it. He knew about what happened between us back in America. I’ll tell him if he asks, but other than that: we are focussing primarily on the case,” Arthur noted as he parked the car. 

“So… you’ll tell him we’re boyfriends?” Alfred asked, his eyes widening with curiosity as he gave Arthur a hopeful smile.   
But Arthur frowned, “Of course we are, what do you think we’ve been doing this whole time?!” 

“I’m sorry!!” Alfred chuckled as he and Arthur got out of the car, before walking to the elevator that led into the Scotland Yard building, “I’m just making sure we’re exclusive!” 

“Well, we are!” Arthur murmured as he crossed his arms over his chest after pressing the button to call the elevator. Alfred chuckled when he noticed the cute pout on Arthur’s face, and he was tempted to comment on it, but then he knew that Arthur would stop doing it if he pointed it out. 

“So, do you know where Gilbert wants to meet us?” Alfred asked, “and I thought that MI5 and Scotland Yard were different things.” 

“They are, we just use their interrogation rooms sometimes,” Arthur explained, “And yes, I know where Gilbert wants to meet us, it’s the usual room we use. I don’t think I’ve been here in over a year…” 

“Arthur, Alfred!” A familiar voice called out as Alfred and Arthur stepped into the elevator, and despite his tiredness, Alfred’s reflexes still acted fast enough for him to place his hand between the closing doors of the elevator to allow for one more person to fit through the doors. 

“Oh, good morning Kiku, nice morning, isn’t it?” Arthur asked jokingly as Kiku stood in between them, fixing his hair after running into the elevator. 

“Yes, nice,” Kiku chuckled, “You both look very tired.” 

Alfred chuckled, “Thanks.”

“Do you know what’s going on?” Arthur asked Kiku after pressing a button on the floor selection, and the elevator began to move. 

“Someone tried to kidnap Elizabeta last night,” Kiku admitted. 

“WHAT?!” Arthur asked, looking back at Kiku as his eyes widened with shock. 

“Is that Gilbert’s wife?” Alfred asked. 

“Yes,” Kiku nodded, “Someone tried to kidnap her last night, and Gilbert caught them before they tried to escape.” 

“Do you think it could be one of the kidnapers?” Alfred asked. 

“No. We don’t think it’s them, they wouldn’t put themselves in that kind of position. It was rather… stupid and random. The kidnapper didn’t run when he had the chance…” Kiku explained before smiling at Arthur, “That’s why you’re here to interview him. Find out why he did it and who put him up to it.” 

“Shit… They targeted Elizabeta…?” Arthur asked, “She’s such a sweet lady…” 

The trio started to walk down the hallway when the elevator doors opened. Alfred was constantly curious by his surroundings. He could only conclude that he had fallen in love with London. It is a city of charm and mystery, from the dark sky to the gothic architecture, he found himself attached to every sight and every sound… He deeply regretted thinking that he’d like the case to prolong so he could stay for longer.   
However, with Arthur here, he knew that this would not be the last time he visits this charming and alluring city. 

“Yes… And the best way to mess with Gilbert, and it worked: he’s not in a good mood…” Kiku pointed out. “So, it’s good that you’re here, you’re going to keep Gilbert from attacking the attempted-kidnapper.” 

“Alright, so I take it that I’m going to be the good cop?” Arthur asked as the trio walked into a dark room, where Ludwig and Gilbert were already standing. The room was dark and narrow, with the main feature being a window that looked into the interrogation room, Arthur know that this was a trick mirror. 

“Good morning,” Gilbert muttered, his harsh expression lightening slightly, “So, this is Vash Zwingli.” 

“Go on,” Arthur murmured as he stood beside Gilbert, looking at the man who sat alone in the interrogation room.

“He is the asshole that tried to kidnap my wife last night,” Gilbert pointed out. 

“Hm…” Alfred grumbled, before frowning as the man who sat in the interrogation room, noticing the bruising that was forming under his right eye, “Where’d he get the black-eye?” 

“Me.” Gilbert sighed before continuing, “He’s from Switzerland, he came to the UK with his teenage sister four years ago. While his sister goes through high-school, he’s been going in and out of courthouses and rehab centres.” 

“Oh dang,” Alfred muttered. 

“Exactly, although he loves his little sister fiercely, so Arthur, I suggest that you don’t bring her up,” Gilbert pointed out. “Also, I’m going to need you to be good cop for this one, I don’t think I’m going to be nice to him without wanting to punch in his nose. Besides, I’ve already beat him up once.” 

“Understandable,” Alfred muttered, “Is there anything else that I need to know about him?”

“There isn’t much else to know…” Ludwig murmured as Gilbert handed Arthur a paper-file, and Arthur slowly looked through it as the others spoke. 

“Well, he’s not the kidnapper, but he’s something, right? A step closer…” Alfred pointed out, staring at Ludwig with hopeful eyes, however, the younger German didn’t even look away from the window. 

“We hope he is,” Gilbert muttered. 

“Alright, I’ll start it now then,” Arthur quipped as he took the file and left the viewing room, and seconds later the door to the interrogation room opened. Arthur sighed and did not say a word to Vash as he walked towards the table, taking a seat with his back to the mirror. 

“You’re in a lot of shit, lad,” Arthur sighed, “First let me introduce myself, I’m Arthur Kirkland.” 

“Hm…” The Swiss shrugged. 

“There are a lot of stupid things that you have done, but this takes the cake, trying to kidnap the wife of an MI5 agent? Really?” 

“I didn’t know who she was…” Vash admitted. 

“Would you have done it if you knew?” Arthur asked. 

“Of course not, I’m not that stupid…” Vash replied. 

“But… this still doesn’t change the fact that it happened, and you were caught at the scene. Now you’re in a whole world of shit…” Arthur sighed. “You could be tied to more kidnapping charges, and even terrorism.” 

“What?! Terrorism!?” Vash gasped, “Why that?!” 

“You know why. You know who hired you to do this job,” Arthur replied, before leaning forward, staring at Vash with a stern glare, “You know who hired you and what they have done.” 

“You don’t know shit,” Vash grumbled, “You don’t know who hired me.”

“Well, you don’t know what evidence we have, we do know who hired you, and if this kidnapping is tied to them, you’re going to sink down with them, would you like that?” Arthur asked, “If you’re honest with me, you can escape sharing their fate. I know you’re not a terrorist, and I also know that you wouldn’t want to go to jail… Especially not over something so stupid…” 

“I…” Vash muttered. 

Alfred watched the interrogation and frowned, “I thought the bad-cop was supposed to go to first in the interrogation…” 

“Arthur and I shake things up sometimes,” Gilbert admitted, “It’s to give them something they won’t expect. Now’s my queue.” 

As soon as Gilbert left the viewing room, Alfred returned his attention back to Arthur and Vash, listening to the Swiss as he talked, “Things are different with Bonnefoy and Edelstein out of the picture, things were quietening down without those guys around, and now these people have shown up…” Vash admitted as his head fell into his hands, “Even Oz is starting to lose his cool, and that guy is a loose cannon anyway.” 

Alfred couldn’t help but feel excited, he watched Gilbert make his way through the door into the interrogation room, and instantly the atmosphere tensed. Gilbert had changed completely, he stared at Vash with narrow eyes and gnarling teeth, resisting the urge to attack the man who sat there in handcuffs. 

“You fucked up really bad, you son-of-a-bitch,” Gilbert grumbled as he walked towards Vash, but before he could get past the corner of the table, Arthur jumped out of his chair and forced himself in front of Gilbert and shielded Vash. Alfred could tell that this was an act, but from the look on Vash’s face, it was working. 

“You don’t understand!” Vash cried out, quickly changing his demeanour, wanting to defend himself. 

“Oh!? What don’t I understand?!” Gilbert grumbled as Arthur pushed him back, and Arthur escorted Gilbert to the other side of the table. 

“I need the money! I need the money, badly! I had no other option!!” Vash cried. 

“They paid you…?” Arthur asked, “How much…?” 

“It’s not much, but…” Vash murmured, “I’ve not been doing well with work lately, I lose every job I get in a matter of months, and everyone I know are connected to some kind of group and I…” 

“You can’t get out…” Arthur murmured. 

“Look, I’m sorry that your wife was the target, but I was doing what I was paid for!!” Vash argued, “I was going to use that money for rent, for food, for books...” 

Despite Vash’s apology, Gilbert’s eyes narrowed as he circled around the table like a shark would circle a sinking ship. “What do you know about the people who hired you?” 

“Hardly anything,” Vash admitted, “When we did speak, it was either through the phone or they wore those helmets.” 

“Any accents?” Arthur asked. 

“Fake ones, it was the worst American accent I ever heard, they even became British for a couple of sentences,” Vash shrugged. 

“You don’t have any experience in kidnapping, in fact, you are the worst kidnapper I have ever seen, do you know why they picked you?” Gilbert asked. 

“… I took the offer first.” Vash admitted. 

“Do you think they’ve approached more people?” Arthur asked. 

“Definitely,” Vash sighed, “They knew I’d fail, right?”

“Well, it doesn’t take a genius…” Gilbert scoffed, only to receive a poisonous glare from Vash. 

“Alfred…” Ludwig murmured after Kiku left the room, bringing the Americans attention away from the interview in front of him, taking advantage of the privacy. “I have to ask you, where have you been sleeping for the past two nights?” 

Alfred cursed internally, he had obviously underestimated Ludwig, not thinking that the German would check for him in their ‘shared’ apartment wasn’t a wise idea. “I, ugh… I’ve been at Arthur’s…” 

In the blink of an eye, Ludwig’s concern stare turned into a confused one, “Arthur’s?” 

“Yeah, we, ugh…”

“Are you two...?”

“Yeah, we’re a thing now, for a week and a bit now. Ever since that one night you left and had the keys, I stayed at Arthur’s and I’ve been there a lot…” Alfred explained, feeling the burning heat graze his cheeks, there was not a doubt that he was as red as a tomato right now, and he hoped that the darkness of the room concealed this. 

“Oh, so you and Arthur are boyfriends now…” 

“Yeah, we’re taking it slow…” Alfred admitted, “I hope you don’t mind.” 

“How is it my business? I knew that you liked Arthur,” Ludwig admitted, “Heh… Gilbert was hoping that you two would get together… Well, all of us were actually…” 

“Oh… Cool, like: It doesn’t affect our work at all, when we’re out of the house, it’s all about finding Feli! I can’t wait to tell him now!” 

“Well, that’s good. I couldn’t tell.” Ludwig admitted, “If you both keep your focus on finding Feliciano, I won’t have any complaints…” 

“It’s so wild, I’ve liked Arthur for ages, and now we’re like this. Well, Arthur and I are taking it slow, by sleep together, I mean that we literally JUST sleep together. Like… um, Arthur comforts me when I sleep. I have to admit, with him; I’ve been having the best sleep I’ve had in months. It’s like his presence just makes it easier to rest…” Alfred explained. 

“That makes sense, you’ve both been through a lot, and your sleep has suffered because of it,” Ludwig agreed, it was then that Alfred saw Ludwig smile for the first time since Feliciano went missing, “I’m happy for you.” 

“Aw, dude...” Alfred cooed, before the attention of the two agents returned to the interview when Kiku joined them in the room, carrying a black briefcase. 

“Heh, they knew you’d fuck up and get caught… But why…?” Gilbert asked as he leaned over the table to stare at him, “What else did they want you to do? You’re obviously just their errand-boy, huh? Or a waste of our time?” 

“This,” Vash admitted, before pulling something out of his pocket, “They told me to put this in an envelope to your office, but obviously: I’m not gonna be able to do that now.” 

“Wh—“ Arthur gasped when he realised that Vash had placed a USB stick onto the table, and instantly, he and Gilbert were silent, knowing what this meant. 

“Arthur, get this to Yao, NOW!” Gilbert hissed as he tossed the USB stick to Arthur, “take Alfred and Ludwig and go!” 

Alfred glanced over at Ludwig, to see that the German had noticed what the device was, and what it could mean. Ludwig’s eyes were wide and his lip trembled, already fearing what he was going to see on the device, and what it meant for Feliciano.


	9. Chapter 9

With Arthur out of the room, and when he was sure that Alfred and Ludwig had left the viewing room, Gilbert slowly turned to look at Vash. Vash’s eyes widened with fear, perhaps anticipating another attack, however, Gilbert wasn’t going to attack him again; there was something more important that he needed Vash for. 

When Gilbert heard Kiku enter the room, he finally spoke; knowing that they had privacy, “Before you go, we need you for one more thing.” 

“What…? I don’t know anything else, I swear,” Vash muttered as Gilbert and Kiku sat down on the opposite side of the table. 

“How well do you remember their voices? How much did you talk to them?” Kiku asked as he opened the brief case and moved around some papers until taking out a notebook and a recorder. 

“Not much, as I said, they used fake accents,” Vash admitted.

“Well, then this is worth a shot,” Gilbert sighed, “We want you to listen to some recordings, and tell us if you recognise any of the voices…”

\-------------- 

Meanwhile, Alfred, Arthur and Ludwig raced back to the MI5 office and Ludwig’s horrified expression hadn’t changed. He was staring at the floor as the trio rode the elevator, his hands clenched into fists and his leg shaking with anxiety. Alfred had no idea what to say to him, what could he say that would make this situation any better for his friend? There was no doubt that the video on the memory stick in Arthurs pocket contained another video. A video that told what latest horror Feliciano was going through. 

“They wouldn’t kill him,” Arthur murmured, not looking away from the elevator doors, but Alfred could tell that even he could feel the tense mood. “They won’t kill him. They’re using him to toy with us and keep us emotional unstable. He’s their best weapon, they’re not going to kill him.” 

After hearing Arthur’s theory, Ludwig frowned, “If they do; I will make them wish that they were never born…” 

Despite the anger in Ludwig’s voice, Alfred could tell how much pain he was in, Alfred understood what it was like to have someone he cared about taken away, and teased in front of him like this… Alfred had never seen Ludwig this stressed. During Matthew’s kidnapping case; Ludwig was the glue that held the whole team together, Ludwig was the one who dragged Alfred out of the gutter when he struggled to even stand, Ludwig was the one who remined Alfred of what was at stake, and reminded him of what he was capable of. Even after Matthew’s death, Ludwig and Feliciano were there to help Alfred pick up the pieces, they were there to keep him healthy and make sure that he got the help he needed. If it weren’t for them, Alfred would have become a mess, and even lonely or probably addicted to something… While Matthew’s death emotionally destroyed Alfred, Ludwig and Feliciano were there to help Alfred put himself back together again… They probably knew that was what Matthew would have wanted…   
And so, he understood the toll that this took on Ludwig… 

As soon as the elevator doors opened, the trio burst out, relieved to see Yao sitting at his desk, immediately he stood up to greet them. 

“I heard about Elizabeta, is she ok?!” Yao asked. 

“We’ll explain everything later,” Arthur explained, handing Yao the USB stick, “Play this!” 

After seeing what Arthur had handed him, his eyes widened with disappointment and fear, “Oh no…” Despite his visible discomfort, Yao quickly sat back down and placed the stick into his computer, and immediately pulled up the file and saw the video file. 

The video began with a dark screen, before quickly jumping to some very startling footage. The noise was so sudden, the entire group jumped with fright. 

“NO! NO! GET OFF! LEAVE ME ALONE!! AAHH!!” Feliciano was screaming, struggling to crawl away, the Italian looked at least half of his weight, he shook violently on the floor as he tried to fight against the grip of the figure who was trying to pull him back. Alfred could see the self-inflected scratches that lined Feliciano’s arms, all telling of what horror Feliciano had been through. Feliciano's voice sent shivers down Alfred's spine, and told everyone in the room what kind of fear and desperation that Feliciano was experiencing, “NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!! PLEASE!! PLEASE, NOT AGAIN!! NO!!!” 

Suddenly, new footage started to play and the screen was dark, however; voices could be heard. Suddenly the camera was lifted, and it was a view of the River Thames, the camera panned around to show that the cameraman was standing directly in front of the Globe Theatre. There were noises of engines revving and people reacting as their attention was drawn to the black motorcycle that drove past the cameras view. Instantly, everyone knew what this was… And then Alfred and Arthur passed the cameraman as they lifted a small handgun and pulled the trigger as Alfred and Arthur passed. The camera followed the motorcycle as it tipped over, sending Alfred and Arthur to the ground and skidding. 

Everyone watched in shock as the cameraman zoomed in on Arthur as he laid on the ground with his eyes closed, and a small line of blood travelled across his forehead. Before zooming out to show Alfred crawling to Arthur, and Alfred finally saw the desperate look on his face and remembered feeling so terrified over the possibility of Arthur being seriously hurt. 

“They were all there, just waiting for us…” Alfred murmured, before the footage shook as the noise of a bomb going off echoed through the area, and then the footage finally cut out as it showed Alfred and Arthur staring at the Globe Theatre with horrified looks on their faces. 

And as quickly as the footage started, it ended and a new scene began, and had returned to Feliciano, who was now died down into a chair. Ludwig trembled and covered his mouth with his hands when Feliciano released a horrified scream, he screamed like he was begging for God to listen. Feliciano breathed heavily as he opened his eyes and stared silently at the camera, finally registering that he was being filmed, and after about a minute of staring at the camera in silence, he burst; “LUDWIG!! PLEASE HELP! I---”  
Before Feliciano could say anything damning, the footage was muted, and a black box covered Feliciano’s face. 

And as expected, black text at the bottom of the screen provided the agents with the input of the kidnapers. 

‘This is proof of life.   
During his time in our care; Agent Vargas has undergone countless sessions of exposure to I.V.A.N.   
However, no matter how many times he has gone through hallucinations and pain, he cannot become used to it. We have been keeping him conscious and alive through a cure we have developed.   
And so, we can say with confidence, that not only do we have the power to bring London to its knees, we have the cure that can save it. Feliciano is proof of that.’

‘However, we don’t know what short term exposure does, so we suggest that you keep an eye on Agent Jones, just in case if something interesting happens. We will know, because we have eyes everywhere…’

‘Cease MI5 action now, and we won’t release the gas. If you continue your investigation, the death rates from the attack on the Globe Theatre will only grow, and there will be more disasters like it throughout the city.’ 

‘This is your second warning.’ 

‘You do not want a third.’ 

However, it wasn’t over, as the screen cut to black before changing to a view of an office from a security camera. Everyone was confused until the reality of the situation dawned on them, the desks were placed in the same places as the office they stood in, and they recognised the people who were talking in the office; they could clearly identify Yao, Gilbert, Alfred and Arthur talking amongst themselves, not at all suspecting that a fifth set of eyes were amongst them. 

“No fucking way…” Alfred asked as Arthur covered his mouth with his hand as his eyes widened with shock.   
Everyone’s eyes lifted to the direction of the security camera was pointing, and it was staring back at them, recording everything. 

Ludwig snapped and screamed as he snatched a metal stapler from Yao’s desks and threw it at the security camera, smashing it into pieces and bringing it to the floor with terrifying precision. After his stunt, Ludwig staggered forward slightly, before falling to his knees in despair. 

“H-how…?” Yao stuttered as Alfred fell to Ludwig’s side as the German screamed. 

“Oh God…” Arthur gasped, instantly stepping back, preparing to call Gilbert and tell him the news. Right when the Agents thought that the situation couldn’t get worse… 

\------- 

“Do you want me to look after the briefcase tonight?” Gilbert asked. 

“Are you sure?” Kiku asked as the two agents made their way towards the car park. 

“I’m going to be up all night anyway, just give it to me when you have finished work,” Gilbert explained. For over a week now, he and Kiku have been keeping all of their evidence relating to suspects hidden in a simple briefcase. Therefore, they both knew how important it was that the briefcase was guarded at all times. 

“Do you think we have enough evidence to make an arrest?” Gilbert asked. 

“Not a conviction, perhaps if we show everything to Lovino, he can tell us whether we have enough for him to work with. I think we have nearly enough to perform an arrest, we just need some more time. Vash was a great help, he recognised the voice.” 

“We just need to get them before the detonate another bomb, that’s the trick. We can’t let them figure out that we’re onto them, otherwise everything would have been for nothing.” Gilbert muttered, “I’ll get to explaining everything to Alfred and Arthur.” 

“What about Ludwig?” Kiku asked. 

“Not yet…” Gilbert sighed, suddenly frowning when he felt his phone vibrate within his pocket. “Hang on. It’s Arthur.” 

“Oh no… The video…” 

Gilbert closed his eyes and sighed as he answered the call, “How bad is it…?” 

\------- 

“FUCKING BASTARDS!!” Gilbert snapped as he slammed his fist onto Yao’s desk, making the entire platform shake, making Yao recoil in shock, “FUCKING—AHH!” 

“What do we do now?” Arthur asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, trying to cover the anxiety that boiled underneath his skin. 

Gilbert sighed as he straightened his back and rubbed his forehead in frustration, he glanced at his office door, where he knew that Alfred was doing his best to console Ludwig, “We have to set up a state of emergency… Put all airports on high alert, bump up security in all high-risk areas, notify the Prime Minister, get the Royal family out of London, notify all security personnel to start carrying gas masks…” 

“And the public?” Kiku asked. 

“Well…” Gilbert sighed, “We’ll leave that decision to the higher ups, they’ll decide what information is leaked.”

“Fine, I’ll relay the message,” Arthur explained, before gesturing towards the office, “I’ll take care of everything, but Ludwig needs you right now.” 

“Thanks,” Gilbert murmured as he made his way into his office, where he saw Alfred and Ludwig sitting together.

As he expected, Ludwig was a complete mess… Alfred was trying his best to support him, but Gilbert knew that how hard it was to comfort Ludwig; it takes a special touch…   
Alfred smiled at Gilbert when he noticed him enter before rising and leaving without a word. 

Silently, Gilbert sat down in front of Ludwig and pulled him in for a tight hug, and immediately, Ludwig broke down and his shoulders shook with every shaky breath. “I am not backing down on my promise; we are going to get him back.” When he opened his eyes again, Gilbert saw Kiku step into the room, carrying the black briefcase that was full of evidence. “And I think I know how…” 

\-------- 

With the world going to shit around him, Alfred once again found himself feeling… useless, helpless and pathetic… 

He sat alone in Arthur’s office, waiting for him to come back so they could begin to work, as far as Alfred knew; Arthur was going to be taking care of issuing requests to Parliament and the metropolitan police…   
However, while he waited, Alfred felt himself slowly sick further and further into darkness, feeling the pain of his grief creep up behind him like a monster. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing… He felt his entire body sink into the chair, imagining chains dragging him closer to the ground… 

But then he quickly snapped out of his darkness when he felt wetness gather around his nose, frowning, Alfred touched his nostril and looked at his fingers, gasping when he saw bright red blood staining his fingertip. 

“Fuck,” Alfred murmured as he ran to Arthur’s desk and snatched some tissues from the tissue box, pressing it to his nostrils as he lifted his face towards the ceiling, desperate to stop the nosebleed. Was this something for him to be concerned about? Surely not… right? Alfred tried his best to rationalise, and quickly convinced himself that he is simply tired and it’s just a random nosebleed. If this were something to do with the gas, surely, it’d be much worse by now…   
“Not today, Braginski… Not today,” Alfred grumbled as he flashed his middle finger to the sky, before changing his mind and pointing it to the floor, “I know you’re somewhere and it ain’t heaven, dude…”   
Alfred checked the piece of tissue, relieved to see that the blood was minor, and after wiping his nose a couple of times, he was happy to learn that the bleeding had stopped completely, see? Nothing to worry about.

Alfred was quick to shove the bloodied tissue into his pocket when Arthur walked into the office, however, Arthur was quick to notice the odd look on Alfred’s face. “What did you do?” 

“Nothing,” Alfred replied, slowly walking back to his seat at Arthur’s desk. 

“Are you feeling ok?” Arthur asked, slowly making his way towards Alfred, intensely staring at the Americans face with an analytical glare, only stopping when he was close enough to take Alfred’s chin into his hand and tilt his face to look into his eyes. “You look like shit.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Alfred… You saw the video too, they know what happened to you,” 

“I know,” Alfred murmured as he snaked his arms up Arthur’s back, pulling Arthur in closer, “But I’ll be fine, I promise. I got hardly any sleep last night, so I’m sorry for not glowing today.” 

Despite the pain in his eyes, Arthur’s stare still made Alfred’s heart flutter, he wanted to smile at the Englishman and tell him that he will make everything better. But he can’t just say that, Feliciano is still missing, there are bombs filled with I.V.A.N in the city, and they still don’t know for sure if the gas hasn’t affected Alfred. But yet, Arthur’s eyes still brought Alfred calm, they calmed the storm inside of him and returned him to a state of hope and peace. Even Arthur seemed caught in a state of wonder, staring deeply into Alfred eyes as he slowly leaned in closer to the American, and Alfred could only wonder what thoughts were running through Arthur’s mind… 

“Fine,” Arthur huffed before pulling himself out of Alfred’s grasp, they had to remember that they were at work. 

“Also, you still owe me that date,” Alfred pointed out, as Arthur laughed while falling into his chair. 

“LUDWIG, GET BACK HERE AND CALM DOWN!!” An angry voice roared from outside Arthur’s office, catching Alfred and Arthur’s attention. After sharing a horrified glance, Alfred and Arthur jumped from their seats and ran out of Arthur’s office, to see Ludwig standing by Yao’s desk, his face red with anger, and hands clenched into tight fists. 

Gilbert didn’t look much better, his eyes narrowing with anger, “Just because this is a state of emergency, it doesn’t give you the right to act outside the law, there are rules for us to follow!” 

“How can you keep talking about rules!? How would you feel if it was Elizabeta on that tape!? You’d have the fucking army going after her!!” Ludwig snapped, earning a gasp from everyone in the room, and a poisonous glare from Gilbert. 

“Don’t act like I’m indifferent, Feliciano is my friend too—“ 

“He’s more than a friend for me, you have no idea what I’m going through!!” Ludwig snapped, “I can’t just stand around and wait for answers: I need to find him before they do anything else to him!” 

Gilbert gritted his teeth, “if you don’t stop this, I will have no choice but to remove you from the case, if you are going to behave like a child; then I will treat you like one!!” 

“Fine; I don’t care!” Ludwig snapped as he started to walk towards the elevator, “I’ll get more done that way!” 

“Fine then!” Gilbert snapped, opening his mouth to say one more thing, but Ludwig cut him off. 

“And if you tell another agent to babysit me, let them know that I still have my gun on me!” 

“You little shit—“ Gilbert snapped as he started to run to the elevator, but the doors closed before he could get to them. “DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID!!” 

Without another word, Gilbert stalked back to his office, slamming the door hard enough to send a shiver down everyone’s spines. 

“What the fuck just happened…?” Yao whimpered, slightly shaken by the scene that played in front of him. 

“I think Ludwig’s gone rouge again….” Alfred sighed. 

\------ 

Arthur sighed as he placed the two bowls of spaghetti bolognas on the dining table, hearing the muffled noises of Alfred speaking on the phone from Arthur’s bedroom… It was just another day where Feliciano’s life was teased in front of the agents like a dog with a toy… 

Alfred was struggling with this, Arthur could feel it… The way that Alfred stared into Arthur’s eyes earlier in the day; they were like two oceans of longing, but yet, Arthur could see the hope that Alfred had deep within him, and all Arthur could do now is pray that, that hope isn’t destroyed… 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Arthur wandered from the dining table to past the couch and into the hallway that led to the bedroom. Although he was on his way to the bathroom, his curiosity did get the better of him, and he could hear Alfred speaking. 

“I’m fine; I swear… Well, you know what the media is like, they pick the worst pictures, don’t worry, I wasn’t near the theatre when the gas went off…” Arthur frowned as he leaned against the doorframe into his bedroom, watching Alfred pace around the bedroom with his back to Arthur. Arthur was first wondering why Alfred would have told such a lie, but then… He realised who Alfred was talking to, “I’m fine, mom, I swear… Yeah, London is awesome, I love it here… Hah, yeah, perhaps I’d consider it… Come on, you wouldn’t miss me, I live on the other side of the country and you don’t mind… Yeah. We’re getting closer to finding Feli, we’re all hoping his safe. Mo-Mom—you know I can’t tell you that… Yeah; you’re my mom, but still…”   
By this point, Alfred turned around and noticed Arthur standing by the door. Alfred smiled at Arthur before continuing to talk, “I better go, it’s getting late here and someone’s waiting for me. Give dad my love… Ugh, and the cats. Bye, bye; love you, bye.” 

Arthur did try to tell Alfred that he didn’t need to hang up, however, it was too late, “You could have talked longer…” 

“I’ll call her again tomorrow, besides, dinners getting cold,” Alfred chuckled as he walked past Arthur, taking the Englishman under his arm as he did, and planting a soft kiss on Arthur’s forehead. 

“Well, hopefully we’ll get some sleep tonight,” Arthur murmured as he and Alfred walked back to the dining table, where Alfred smiled at the meal before him.

“Looks good,” Alfred chuckled. 

“That’s because you made the sauce,” Arthur chuckled as he and Alfred took their seats across from each other. 

“Hah, right,” Alfred chuckled as Arthur began to eat, “Oh, I should tell you; Ludwig knows about us.” 

Arthur struggled to swallow his food before speaking, “OH!” 

“Yeah… He figured out that I haven’t been sleeping in the apartment for a while… But, he’s fine with it. Turns out he, Gilbert and Feli have been waiting for us to get together for a while,” Alfred admitted. 

“Well, I’m not surprised about Gilbert. Oh Lord, if Ludwig has told him; he’s going to be all over it,” Arthur admitted, “Shit… Walking in tomorrow is going to be an experience, knowing Gilbert.” 

“Ludwig is happy for us, as long as we focus on finding Feliciano while at work,” Alfred explained. 

“That’s understandable,” Arthur agreed. 

“Besides, it’s not like Ludwig can talk about workplace relationships! He and Feli are pretty much married and they’ve been working together for years,” Alfred explained, “I wouldn’t be shocked if they got married and kept working together.” 

“It takes a special relationship in order to work together,” Arthur admitted, “There was a couple that I used to work in a store with when I was a teenager and they were at each other’s throats whenever they disagreed over how to do something. I used to wonder how they were able to go home with each other after that.”

“Dude, I’ve never even seen Feli and Ludwig raise their voices at each other, and Ludwig yells at EVERYONE,” Alfred explained. “But… When he does, Feliciano is always there to calm him down…” 

“That’s so sweet…” Arthur sighed. 

“And I don’t blame Ludwig at all for what he’s doing. He loves Feliciano, so he isn’t going to rest, especially when all of this shit is going on,” Alfred explained, "If I had skills like Ludwig's when Matt went missing, I would have done the same thing. It was torture to sit through hours of footage and wait for so many things while knowing that my best friend was going through hell..." 

“I can only imagine how he’s feeling right now…” Arthur sighed. 

“Yeah… I just hope that he’s going to be ok… I hope Feli is going to be ok…” Alfred sighed as he slowly played with his food, and once again, Alfred looked at Arthur with those hopeful eyes, “When this is all over, I hope he can return to who he was…” 

At this statement, Arthur couldn’t help but wonder whether this was a possibility… He knows that he changed dramatically after losing Allistor, and Alfred has defiantly changed after losing Matthew… Could Feliciano really be capable of returning to normal after going through such a horrible experience. Arthur doesn’t even know what horrors Feliciano has been through, and how fractured the mind of that sweet and kind man has become…   
Can anyone really return to normal after going through such a thing? 

Suddenly, Arthur frowned when he heard the noise of his phone vibrating against the marble of the kitchen bench, catching Alfred and Arthur’s attention. Knowing that he cannot ignore a call from Gilbert or Kiku, he decided to get up and check, just in case. “Gilbert.” 

“Right,” Alfred muttered, deciding now to shovel food into his mouth, in case if the agents need to leave again. 

“Kirkland,” Arthur answered, lifting the phone to his ear. 

“GET TO KIKU’S HOUSE, NOW!! I’LL SEND YOU THE ADDRESS!!” Gilbert panicked, before breaking into a fit of heavy breathing and wheezing, like he was struggling to speak. 

“Gilbert! What’s wrong?!” Arthur asked, quickly becoming alert and panicked, terrified over the idea of there being another attack, “What’s happening?! Gilbert! Breathe!!”

“It’s Kiku…” Gilbert grumbled, before breaking into a sob, “He’s dead.”


	10. Chapter 10

Arthur’s entire body had become numb as soon as he heard Gilbert say those words, and the numbness continued through Alfred’s and Arthur’s journey to Kiku’s house. He could see the dread loom behind Alfred’s eyes as they slowly walked towards the house, linking by their hands… The couple had barely spoke since leaving Arthur’s house, and the silence was daunting, but… what could be said at a time like this…? 

He couldn’t believe it, there was no way Kiku could be dead… right…? Despite all the evidence around him, Alfred still refused to accept it as concrete fact. No matter how bleak his hope seemed… 

Red and blue police lights flashed around the house, as a policeman allowed Alfred and Arthur to pass the security tape, allowing the agents into the crime scene. And then Alfred saw Gilbert standing by the open front door, trembling and keeping his arms crossed over his chest, like he was trying to keep himself held together…   
As soon as Gilbert saw Alfred and Arthur, his eyes widened his gaze met Arthur’s, and Alfred could instantly see the trauma and pain in Gilbert’s eyes. 

“Have you been inside?” Arthur asked. 

“No… I don’t want to go in there without you, I’ll be a mess… I…” Gilbert admitted, trembling like he was about to fall apart. Arthur knew what he had to do, and so he let go of Alfred’s hand and took the crumbling German into his arms for a tight hug, “I can’t believe this is happening…. This can’t be real…” 

“It’s going to be ok, we’ll get through this…” Arthur promised as he walked Gilbert through the door of Kiku’s house. Instantly, the smell of blood was overwhelming, making his face tense and it brought back too many memories for Arthur’s liking. But Arthur knew he had to stay strong for Gilbert… He could hear voices coming from the living room, which sat further down the hall. Multiple officers were wandering around the house, and Arthur could hear them wandering around upstairs, collecting whatever evidence they could find. The front entrance gave Arthur a glimpse of what he’s in for: absolute chaos, picture frames had been knocked off the walls, the rug was out of place and wonky, the front table was flipped over. It looked like a large fight had occurred in the house, and obviously, it had gotten ugly… 

Arthur felt Alfred reach for his hand again as they got closer to the living room, and he was honestly happy to take it…   
And he needed it to prepare himself for what he saw in the living room. 

Kiku was sitting in the middle of the room, duct-taped to a dining chair by his arms and legs; he was hunched forward, covering an ugly gunshot wound to the chest. His lap and torso was covered in dried blood, making Kiku look like a prop in a horror movie. Gilbert gasped so loudly, he sounded like he was about to choke, and Arthur grabbed on tightly to the Germans hand, struggling to keep himself together in the process. 

This caught the attention of the forensic detective, another agent Arthur, Gilbert and Kiku knew well, Lukas Bondevik, who was standing by Kiku’s body, inspecting it. When the Norwegian agent saw the look on Gilbert and Arthur’s face, he frowned sympathetically. 

“Why…?” Arthur whimpered, squeezing tightly on Alfred and Gilberts hands. 

“It was staged like a robbery,” Lukas explained, “His neighbour found him when she noticed that he left the front door open.” 

“What did they do to him?” Gilbert asked, straightening his posture and deepening his voice, Arthur could tell that Gilbert was going to try his best to be professional. 

“You’re not going to like it,” Lukas sighed. 

“Just… say it…” Gilbert muttered. 

“The wounds are consistent with torture…” Lukas admitted, “He’s missing fingernails and there is bruising forming around his neck… They were trying to make him talk…” 

“What could’ve they wanted?” Alfred asked. 

Immediately, Gilbert’s shoulders buckled as the German took a sharp breath, his eyes widening with shock as all of the colour left his face, “the case file… Kiku and I created a physical copy of all of our evidence, because we knew that if it was all electronic; the file would be vulnerable if we weren’t physically protecting it.”

“Where is it now?” Arthur asked. 

Gilbert whimpered as he ran his hands through his bright hair, as though he was about to pull it all out as tears started to form in his eyes, “I have it…” 

“Wait, then…” 

“They killed the wrong agent…” Gilbert crumbled as he fell to his knees and let out a scream, “THEY KILLED THE WRONG AGENT!!! He’s dead because of me!! FUCK!!” 

Arthur frowned as he fell to the floor beside Gilbert, trying his best to comfort the German, “No, Gilbert, they--“ 

“They wanted the case file and they attacked Kiku because they believed that HE had it!!” Gilbert snapped. 

“Do you think he talked?” Alfred asked as Arthur tried his best to support Gilbert on the floor. 

“It looks like he put up a fight, he lasted through a lot…” Lukas explained, “He was very brave. But we don’t know whether they killed him because they got what they wanted, or because they realised that he wasn’t going to give it to them. It all depends on the case file.” 

Arthur was struggling to hold himself together as he tried to help Gilbert. Kiku was gone, the skilled Agent whom he had spent years working alongside was gone, and there was nothing that he could do about it. Arthur’s throat tightened as he began to cry, unable to stop looking at Kiku in his horrifying state. 

“Alfred, right?” Lukas asked, before receiving a confirming nod from Alfred, “Please escort Gilbert and Arthur away from the body, it’s not good for them.” 

“No!” Gilbert whimpered as he weakly rose from the floor, “We want to keep investigating, we’re going to find out what they did to him, and bring them to justice!” 

“Fine then, go drink some water, get some fresh air and then come back and help, ok?” Lukas asked, “I don’t want to be worrying about you while I’m doing my job.” 

In agreeance, Gilbert walked towards the kitchen to get some water, however, Arthur needed support of a different kind. Arthur escorted Alfred towards the back garden, where he knew they would have some privacy.

“Are you ok?” Alfred asked as soon as the door to the garden closed, and Alfred and Arthur stood outside in the cold weather. 

“I… I just…” Arthur muttered, but before he could finish: Alfred pulled Arthur into his arms for a tight hug, like he already knew what Arthur wanted. 

Alfred held onto Arthur so tightly, the Englishman could relax his legs and lean into Alfred, as he felt the weight of his grief drag him down, it was like with Allistor all over again. But this time, Alfred was there to prevent Arthur from sinking. Despite the coldness of the weather, Alfred’s arms surrounded Arthur in warmth, especially from Alfred’s brown leather bomber jacket, with dark fur trimming along the collar. No wonder the American wore it so much, it was incredibly warm. 

Alfred made Arthur feel safe as he ran his hands up and down Arthur’s back, cooing sweet words of support to him, it was then that Arthur pressed his face into Alfred’s chest and released a scream, knowing that it was going to be muffled by Alfred’s chest. 

Arthur screamed for Kiku, screamed for Feliciano and Ludwig, and screamed to cursed against the world and all of the pain it had caused… He screamed to release all his pent-up pain, and was thankful that Alfred wasn’t stopping him, but instead, holding on tighter to Arthur… 

“It’s ok, I’m not going anywhere,” Alfred promised, “I promise, everything is going to be ok. We’ll find Feliciano, we’ll stop the bombs, and we will bring Kiku’s killers to justice. I’m not going to let anything happen to you…” 

Alfred’s effort humbled Arthur, and he truly did wish that the American could fulfil these promises. Arthur was so tired, physically tired, emotionally tired and mentally tired, and Alfred was the one thing keeping him from truly going insane. 

Arthur finally lifted his face from Alfred’s chest, feeling the chilly air breeze across his cheeks. He looked up at Alfred to see the American already staring down at him with wide, loving eyes, as his arms tightened around Arthur. 

“Do you feel ok?” Alfred asked, “Do you need to go home?” 

“No, we have a job to do,” Arthur admitted as he rested his head against Alfred’s chest, snuggling into it like he would a pillow. “I just need some time… to…” 

“That’s ok, I’ll be here as long as you need,” Alfred promised, taking one hand to rub the soft hair on Arthur’s head, “I’m not going anywhere.” At this confession, Arthur slowly lifted his hands underneath Alfred’s bomber jacket, feeling the warmth of the Americans body through his shirt.

Arthur wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and lie there, but then he thought about Kiku, what horror did his must have gone through… He deserves vengeance, he deserves to be honoured. The team had lost one of their own, and Arthur was not going to let that drag him down. He was going to honour Kiku’s memory by taking down the people who did this to him, and it was going to start now. 

“I’m fine…” Arthur murmured as he tried to pull himself out from Alfred’s grasp, however, Alfred’s arms remained tightly around Arthur. Alfred looked down at Arthur with analytical eyes, Arthur could tell that Alfred was worrying… “Alfred…” 

“I’m worried…” 

“I know you are,” Arthur murmured, “But I’m fine, I’m the one who should do the worrying for you, you’re the one who breathed in gas…” 

“I thought we settled this, I’m fine,” Alfred pointed out. 

“Well…” Arthur huffed, he was tempted to tell Alfred; ‘don’t come crying to me if something goes wrong!’, but that was exactly what Arthur wanted. Despite how fine Alfred said he was; there was still doubt in Arthur’s mind, they know nothing of the gas, or what it does to people. What if something is wrong with Alfred and he doesn’t even know it?! It was another thing for Arthur to stress over! Another thing to keep him awake at night and fuel his nightmare-- 

Arthur’s thought process was interrupted when Alfred bent into him, giving him a soft peck on the lips. It was as sweet as it was short, because now was hardly the time to start kissing. However… it got Alfred’s point across: don’t worry… 

“Are you going to be ok to go back inside?” Alfred asked, “I can hear Gilbert in there…” 

“Yes, we should go back inside…” Arthur murmured as Alfred finally released his grip on Arthur. The cold embraced Arthur, like he had just lost a blanket. However, the warmth retuned when Arthur felt Alfred place his bomber jacket on Arthur’s shoulders. 

“When I get stressed; I play with the sleeve-cuffs. So… Yeah… If you need it...” Alfred murmured, scratching the back of his head, smiling at Arthur like a teenager who was trying to be smooth. Despite the tenseness and the pain of the situation before them, Alfred had managed to make Arthur smile… 

\---- 

‘Es ist nicht gut hier, schelcht, sehr schlect (nicht mit Feliciano). Wir mussen sprechen.   
Wo bist du?   
Hast du Reagan gesehen?‘ 

Ludwig glanced down at his phone, staring at the text from his brother and wondering what could have gone bad enough to make Gilbert feel the need to text him… If Gilbert hadn’t pointed out that it wasn’t about Feliciano, Ludwig would have called him right away. However, Ludwig quickly put his phone back into his pocket, with an informant on the way; Ludwig cannot afford to look like he was in contact with someone. Ludwig stood by the quiet bus stop on the cold London night, trying his best to look as casual as possible, however, his eyes were constantly scanning for anyone who came towards him. He knew that in order to find Feliciano, he knew that he had to bend a couple of rules: and contacting an informant was one of the largest of the rules. 

Ludwig caught sight of someone joining him at the bus stop, leaning against the shelter, but not going under the cover. Ludwig did assume that this was the person he was looking for, but he couldn’t know for sure until he used the code. 

“Do you know if it’s going to rain on Monday?” Ludwig asked the stranger. 

Without skipping a beat, the stranger responded, “It’s going to flood…” 

Ludwig came closer to the stranger, confident that he was the one that the German was looking for, “We better build an arc, Reagan?” 

“Nice to meet you, Ludwig,” Reagan replied, revealing his thick New Zealander accent, “what do you need help with?” 

“I need you to take me to Oz…” Ludwig admitted, making the New Zealander frown. 

“What? Has this been approved?” Reagan asked, “I am one of Oz’s closest confidants, if you blow my cover, he will chuck my body into the Thames!” 

“It will be approved, this is important,” Ludwig assured, “I have heard that he has had contact with the people in motorcycle helmets. I’m sure you know who I am talking about.” 

“I do… And Oz has had contact with them… how much; I don’t know…” Reagan explained, “He wasn’t interested in what they had to offer him. He hasn’t spoken to them since. He had his goons follow them around, he should have things that can help the investigation.” 

“And how long have you known this?” Ludwig asked, narrowing his eyes at the shorter man. 

“I report everything I have…” Reagan grumbling, noting Ludwig’s hostility, “I know that an Agent is missing, but I can’t just ask Oz those questions: if he suspects me, I will be killed!” 

“Fine, then I will ask,” Ludwig grumbled. “I am going to do all that is necessary…” 

“Fine, but you have to understand something: if Oz attacks you, I can’t help you,” Reagan explained, “And if he wants me to, I will have to attack you.” 

“I understand, you need to keep his trust,” Ludwig replied, “What are my chances of negotiating with him? Is there anything he wants?” 

Reagan frowned as he and Ludwig started to walk away from the bus stop as someone joined them, “Don’t bother offering him anything monetary, he’s a drug-lord, he does not care about money.” 

“I assumed so.” 

“But, he has had difficulty getting his cargo across the British Channel, MI5 keep intercepting his load before he can receive it or send it off to mainland Europe. Half of his men are in custody as we speak and he’s getting pissed off,” Reagan explained. 

Reagan continued to lead Ludwig through the streets, constantly keeping an eye out for anyone who could be eavesdropping. Ludwig has already read everything he could about this informant; he knew the drug-lord; Oz, back when he lived in Australia. But after some traumatising events, Reagan signed up to become an informant for MI5. Reagan was the most important informant in MI5’s records, he was vital in finding out what the infamous drug-lord was up to. 

“I really hope you’re doing the right thing,” Reagan admitted, “Oz is going to ask me how you know me and why do you want to come to him.” 

“Let say…” Ludwig murmured, “Just tell him that I recognised you from when you were arrested, I am an ex-cop and I want answers. I am not going to say anything to him, because he is going to have dirt on me, because: by doing this, I am risking my career, so I will have to remain silent about what I know about him.” 

“Fine. Then you explain that to him,” Reagan replied before stopping at a door into an old building, after knocking on the door three times, the door opened to reveal a peering set of eyes. 

“Kiwi,” the man grumbled. 

“I brought a friend for Oz,” Reagan explained, his voice and demeanour changing completely from when he first met Ludwig. The New Zealander had become hardened and tough, with a deeper voice and more confronting posture. He changed and became unapproachable. Now Ludwig understood how he had managed to survive in a world like this for so long. 

The doorman let the two in, letting them into a world of darkness, neon lights, drinking and smoking. People were either dancing to the loud music, kissing or smoking god-knows-what. Ludwig struggled to breath in the toxic air as he followed the New Zealander towards a small set of stairs, which was guarded by another man. With one look from Reagan, the man let him and Ludwig pass without a word.

“Oz, you have a visitor,” Reagan explained as he opened a door that sat at the top of the small staircase. The room before them was entirely lined with red, and appeared to be private bar. The room was decorated with old leather couches, a broken tv and a dart board, on the other side of the room sat a long bar table, filled with a healthy supply of all kinds of liquor. Ludwig noticed a tall man standing by the back corner of the room; throwing darts at the dart-board. He was dressed in a black hoodie with rolled up sleeves and blue jeans, with tattoos covering the bare skin of his arms, his head was covered in messy dark-chocolate hair, and a band-aid blanketed over his nose. 

The Australian glanced at Reagan and Ludwig with a suspicious frown, with dark green eyes as he took a powerful swing, throwing another dart at the board, shooting an impressive score without even looking. 

“I don’t remember organising anything, what’d you do, Kiwi?” Oz asked, and Ludwig could tell that he was either drunk, or high on something. Ludwig could see the paranoia start to set in. 

“Oz, calm it, he just has an offer,” Reagan explained, not at all threatened by Oz’s demeanour, “Friend, bro.” 

“Alrightie…” Oz chuckled as he walked to the bar, before taking a seat on the stool, “What have you got, mate? You seem oddly clean to be around this part of town…” 

Ludwig frowned as he started to walk over to where the Australian sat, he knew that the Aussie was already studying, despite his state: Ludwig knew that the man was still as smart as he was dangerous, and is not a threat to take lightly. “I heard that you have information about the kidnapping of the CIA agent, and the bombing of the Globe Theatre.” 

“I may… What’s it to you though?” Oz asked, his eyes narrowing, “You with the coppa’s?” 

“Used to be,” Ludwig admitted, “But some things just push a man too far. I work alone.” 

“Right…” Oz replied, “Let me guess, the kidnapped Agent was someone special to you?” 

“You’d be right in that,” Ludwig replied. 

“Heh…” Oz chuckled, “You’ve gotten desperate, I’ve heard about the shit that’s happened to that Agent… Shame, he’s a cute guy too…” 

“I want to find him, and I don’t care what I have to do,” Ludwig explained. 

“Hm… So, you’re a vigilante now, eh? I think I like you…” Oz chuckled, before looking to Reagan, “get our friend a drink.” Ludwig could breathe a sigh of relief as Oz patted on the bar stool next to him, gesturing to him to take a seat. “Tell me more about your agent friend, why do you want him back so bad?” 

Oz was testing him, Ludwig could feel it, and so he decided to be honest, “He’s my world. Since he was taken, I’ve been determined to stop at nothing to get him back, I don’t care what rules I have to follow. Originally, I worked with MI5, but their process is too slow and too embedded with routine and protocol. I want Feliciano back, and I’m growing more and more impatient with MI5.” 

“I see…” Oz murmured, his eyebrows raising at the sound of MI5, “What are you willing to do to get your friend back…?” 

“Anything.” 

“Heh… I like your attitude,” Oz admitted, “You’re not afraid to come and see me, even though I can have you killed with the snap of my fingers… You’re either brave, or stupid. There’s only one way to find out: what can you give me in return for my help?” 

“I have connections with MI5, if you want some eyes off you for a while, I can arrange it,” Ludwig promised, “I can also tell you the blind-spots in MI5’s surveillance, you can get things across the Channel without interference,” Ludwig explained, “Are you having issues with that?” 

“You don’t have a fuckin clue, mate,” Oz chuckled, “My supplies keep getting stolen by those fuckers, I’m stuck up shit-creek without a paddle!” 

“Well, I know how to help,” Ludwig replied. 

“Hah, you bloody legend!” Oz chuckled, “Heh, this agent must mean a lot to you, if you’re willing to help someone like me.” 

Ludwig had to admit, he was doing something evil. Because of him, drugs are going to make it to mainland Europe and into the hands of people who could die from it, or plunge into addiction… But Ludwig had already decided: Saving Feliciano was worth having blood on his hands… 

“What can you give me?” Ludwig asked. 

Oz chuckled darkly as he leaned into the German, his eyes buzzing wildly as a crooked smiled crossed his lips, “An address…” 

\----- 

There were no signs of forced entry, meaning that Kiku had let them in… 

The mess at the front entrance indicates that Kiku had opened the door, and they forced themselves in. Kiku tried to fight them off, creating considerable damage. However, the lack of hair and fingerprints was concerning, and highlighted the attacker’s knowledge of forensic sciences. 

It was clear that there was more than one attacker, as Kiku would have easily been able to fight off one attacker by using his training. Like Feliciano, Kiku may have been small: but can use deadly force. 

The tilted carpet and scratch marks on the wooden floor indicated that Kiku was dragged into the house by his legs, and was trying to grip anything he could. 

Kiku was tied onto a chair from the dining room, and tied down with duct-tape, meaning that the attackers came prepared... 

One attacker would have interrogated Kiku while the other searched for the case file, trashing his study, bedroom and even bathroom. 

When Kiku refused to talk, they pried off his fingernails with some kind of surgical tool. Other injuries on Kiku’s body told stories of burns, strategic cutting, even strangulation: all of his injuries confirmed that, despite the pain: Kiku wasn’t talking. 

Kiku was brave until the attacker decided to end it all: with a gunshot to the chest. 

The attackers left through the front door and left it open, inviting anyone curious enough to come inside and see the horrible scene that they left behind. 

Alfred walked up the staircase to go to the bathroom to do his business, and to see if there was anything else that he could find upstairs. But Alfred knew that there was nothing else that the upstairs level of Kiku’s house could offer them. It was obvious that Kiku’s entire house had been searched, every drawer was open, books and clothes were all over the floor, however, despite how hard the forensic experts had checked: there were still no fingerprints. 

Alfred frowned as a sudden surge of dizziness overcame the American, and was powerful enough to nearly make him fall over. His brain pulsed as though it had a heartbeat, making Alfred grunt in pain as he made his way to the sink to wash his hands. Alfred glanced up at the mirror and froze as he watched a line of blood run from his nostrils and across his lips. 

“SHIT!” Alfred hissed as he wiped his wet hand across his nose, smearing the blood over his cheek. However, the torrent of blood did not end. Alfred’s dizziness suddenly became worse, and he felt as though he was about to be sick. Alfred wheezed as he leaned against the sink for support, hunching over to watch as blood dripped from his nose and into the sink, after making a mess of his chin and lips. 

Alfred’s knees buckled and his arms finally gave up on him, sending the American plummeting to the floor, Alfred’s entire body trembled as he tried to crawl to the door, smearing blood across the white tiled floor. 

“Arth… hur…” Alfred whimpered. “Fuck…” 

Alfred tried to scream, but only a tired and stressed groan left his lips, before Alfred started to heave, as though he was about to be physically sick. 

Alfred trembled as he fell to the floor and rolled onto his back, feeling the world spin around him, like he was on the worst rollercoaster ride. 

\---- 

Meanwhile downstairs, Arthur watched as Lukas took more photos of the crime scene, nothing down any of the Norwegians observations, unaware of the danger that Alfred was in upstairs. 

“I think that two people would have been here, maybe three…” Lukas noted. 

“It’s them…” Arthur murmured. 

“We have to act…” Gilbert pointed out, “We can’t keep going like this…” 

“But we have to be smart about this, we need to form a plan so they don’t become suspicious of us and run off,” Arthur pointed out. 

“Go and get Alfred, we’ll plan something together,” Gilbert ordered. 

Arthur nodded as he made his way to the entrance hall, before making his way up the stairs. 

“Alfred!” Arthur yelled as he climbed up the stairs, and frowned when he heard no response. Clinging to the sleeves of Alfred’s bomber jacket, he made it to the top of the stairs and made his way towards the bathroom, because he could see the light peeking out from underneath the door. “Alfred, are you in there…?” 

Something felt wrong… Something felt incredibly wrong, and so Arthur did not hesitate to open the door and look inside. 

The sight before him made Arthur recoil in shock. Alfred was lying on the floor, his white shirt and face stained with vibrant blood, twitching his hands and legs like he was having a seizure. His eyes widened as soon as he saw Arthur, he looked terrified and in pain. 

“ALFRED!!!” Arthur roared as he fell to the floor, taking Alfred’s head into his hands, “SOMEBODY, CALL AN AMBULANCE!!!” 

Arthur began to hyperventilate as he watched Alfred seizure helplessly, holding onto Arthur’s hands tightly, staring at his with eyes that begged for help. 

“ALFRED, PLEASE!! STAY WITH ME! HELP’S COMING!!!” Arthur screamed, ignoring his own tears, squeezing on tightly to Alfred’s hand as he brushed the hair from Alfred’s face with the other, “IT’S GOING TO BE OK!!” 

“I….--- I…” Alfred coughed. “Arth….”

“ALFRED!!!” Arthur sobbed, hearing the noise of people gathering around him, thankful to hear that Gilbert was talking to the ambulance. 

Arthur’s eyes locked with Alfred’s, and Arthur could see the fear behind them. Alfred was still trying to talk to Arthur, but no noise was coming out. Struggling to breath, Alfred coughed, and Arthur screamed in horror when he noticed spats of blood leaving his lips. Arthur didn’t know what to do, he knew that he couldn’t fix this, he was helpless all over again… Arthur’s worst nightmare was coming true, and there was nothing he could do to stop it…


	11. Chapter 11

When Gilbert thought that the situation couldn’t get any worse, the true impact that I.V.A.N had on Alfred finally revealed itself. It took everyone by surprise, even Gilbert had started to think that everything was fine with Alfred… Only for this to sneak up on them… Gilbert had never heard Arthur cry like that before…

Gilbert knew that he and Alfred had a thing going on, but he didn’t think that it was that serious between them… Now Gilbert worried even more for Arthur’s mental state. 

Gilbert checked his phone again, seeing that he’s received a text from Ludwig. Gilbert frowned when he saw that Ludwig had only sent him an address, it looked like it was for an apartment building in East London. Gilbert frowned when he read the rest of the text ‘Oz knew more than we anticipated, I’m going in and getting Feliciano, with or without backup. I start at 12.’. So…. Ludwig had found the address where Feliciano was being kept; this was honestly better than he expected. Gilbert now just had to make sure that a specialist team is set up and meets Ludwig there and stops him before he creates a blood-bath over there, or he gets hurt. Gilbert looked at the clock, gasping when he realised that he only had an hour and a half left to do all of this. He and Arthur need to get moving! 

Gilbert glanced in through the window into the private hospital room, to see Alfred lying motionlessly in the white bed, like a corpse that was connected to an IV tube. Arthur was curled on the bottom corner of the bed, lying next to Alfred with his legs hanging off the edge of the bed. From where he stood, Gilbert could see that Arthur was resting his head against Alfred’s hand. 

They love each other, Gilbert could see that now more than ever. He could see it by the way they looked at each other when the other didn’t notice, the way they spent every moment they could together, the way they looked after each other… Gilbert could especially see it in the way Arthur screamed when he discovered Alfred on the floor, covered in blood. They love each other, but Gilbert couldn’t help but wonder whether they knew it yet.

“Mr Beilschmidt?” A voice asked, making the agent turn around to face the doctor that spoke. Gilbert recognised him as the head doctor, and knew that the man knew of the entire situation, and how dire the circumstances were. 

“Is he going to be ok?” Gilbert asked. 

“I’m not going to sugar-coat this…” The doctor sighed, “but we don’t know. There are so many mixed responses to the gas from all the other victims. They suffer from fits and seizures with no trigger, the only way we can safely keep an eye on Mr Jones is to keep him in a coma. Over half of the victims of the Globe theatre attack are in comas or dead… We don’t know how many people would have had minimal exposure like Mr Jones. Whatever those terrorists are using to keep Mr Vargas alive, we need it.” 

“I know…” Gilbert sighed as he glanced back into the room to see Alfred and Arthur again, before looking back to the doctor. Gilbert thanked the doctor for his help before walking into the hospital room, silently walking towards Arthur; seeing that his eyes were open. Gilbert knew now that Arthur would be itching for vengeance; he just needed the order and Arthur was going to become an unstoppable force. Arthur looked up at Gilbert with tired and drained eyes, it was obvious now: this case was destroying him.   
“Arthur…” 

Without a word, Arthur rose from his position on Alfred’s bed, keeping his hand still linked with Alfred’s. This was now the time to act, despite their plan being hindered and rushed by the sudden loss of two agents: Gilbert knew that he and Arthur could pull this off; they just need to be strong. 

“We’re the only ones left, we need to act now,” Gilbert pointed out. 

“So we’re going for…” Arthur muttered, still in the process of trying to wake himself up, trying to survive on what little energy that Arthur had left. 

“Yes. It’s time,” Gilbert replied, “We’ll go at them with all we have…” 

“Do we have enough?” Arthur asked, “A confession is what we really need.” 

Gilbert frowned as he shoved his hand into his suit pockets, narrowing his eyes with thought, “Leave that to me.” 

\----- 

What really pissed Gilbert off was the fact that he and Kiku had a hunch of who the kidnapper was all along… He knew that they had a criminal past, he knew that they had been in America at the time of Feliciano’s kidnapping, and they knew that there was a case file that was being carried around by Gilbert and Kiku.   
Gilbert knew who it was since the beginning, but he couldn’t act on it for legal reasons. 

The only thing that was holding Gilbert and Kiku back, was the fact that they can’t just arrest someone because of a ‘hunch’, they needed to collect as much evidence as they could without making their suspect suspicious.

But now, Gilbert was sick of that. Kiku is dead because of them, and because he and Gilbert were too slow. Now Gilbert was hungry for vengeance. And he was not going to stop until they have been stopped. 

It wasn’t like Gilbert and Kiku purposely sat on this information, they wanted nothing more than to drag this person into questioning. The only thing that stopped them from doing so was the enormous lack of concrete evidence. Besides, if Gilbert and Kiku had questioned this person and was forced to let them go: Lord knows what they could have done to Feliciano as punishment: or to cover their tracks. In the interest of Feliciano’s safety, Gilbert and Kiku had to hold off arresting them. 

It was a painful secret to hide, even from Ludwig. Ludwig only found out the truth right after Alfred and Arthur had, and now there was a glorious plan to bring this person down. 

Gilbert returned to the MI5 offices, while Arthur organised a specialist unit to deal with the response for Ludwig. With an hour left: Gilbert knew that Arthur would be able to orchestrate an effective team of officers to control the situation. 

However, in order to cement a conviction, Gilbert has to get a confession from the suspect themselves. And he knew exactly how to get it… 

“Yao,” Gilbert sighed as he walked over to Yao’s desk, “Are you ok?”

“I just… I can’t believe what happened to Kiku…” Yao sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the ground, “Is Alfred ok?” 

“He’s fine, for now,” Gilbert admitted, “Although, that cure that the kidnappers have been using on Feliciano would be great right about now…” Gilberts eyes narrowed as he leaned against Yao’s desk, ignoring the Chainman’s clear discomfort. “You still haven’t told us about your trip to America. You got back right before Feliciano’s video came, right? It’s really been that long since we’ve spoken…”

“It was fine, we just visited family,” Yao pointed out. 

“Oh, really? I didn’t know you had relatives in the states,” Gilbert pointed out, “I thought you came straight from China.” 

“He was a close friend, he was family to us,” Yao admitted, his eyes narrowing with concern as Gilbert continued to pressure him. Yao was slowly starting to realise that something was wrong, but Gilbert wasn’t going to let him go. 

“Was?” Gilbert asked, “what happened to him?” 

“Please, it’s personal and our relationship is strictly work-related, no offence,” Yao grumbled, “I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my private life.” 

“Well, it’s a bit hard for me, especially with a past like yours,” Gilbert murmured, watching with intrigue as Yao’s eyes widened with shock. “Actually! This is the second time you’ve been to America recently, right? Was this also to visit your friend? Last time I checked, you were in Washington at the same time as Arthur, care to elaborate on that, Yao?” 

“I don’t know what you’re suggesting, but I don’t like it,” Yao spat, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. 

Gilbert chuckled as he casually leaned forward, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, “Did you ever meet Mr Feliciano Vargas?” 

“No….” Yao murmured. 

“Then how did you know who he was when he appeared on the hostage video?” Gilbert asked, “You seemed to know who he was the second he appeared…” 

“Well! You talk about Ludwig all the time! I assumed that it was him when you said his name!” Yao argued. 

“Don’t bullshit me, Yao. I take Ludwig’s security as seriously as I take mine, I never told you about Feliciano, nor that he worked for the CIA!” Gilbert snapped, “Did you really think that someone with a past as suspicious as yours would get into MI5 without raising a few eyebrows? Kiku’s death was the nail in your coffin, Yao, we know that it was you.” 

Yao’s eyes narrowed with anger as he leaned forward to meet with Gilberts intense stare, “You have no proof.” 

“Oh yeah?” Gilbert asked, “do you want me to go through the case file, the one that you killed Kiku trying to get?!” 

In their moment of intense silence, Yao realised that the time had come, he had been caught … however, instead of giving in, his lips curved into a crooked smile, revealing his true nature as he laid back in his chair, as if he was about to listen to a story, rather than incriminating evidence against him. 

Yao's eyes narrowed as his smile chilled Gilbert to the bone, “Go on, entertain me…” 

Ohhh, Gilbert was ready to entertain, alright… Readying his words to be thrown like bullets, and shoot down any defence Yao could muster. Fuck saving it for the courts, Gilbert was running out of time, and he needed the confession. Yao sat confidently, even having the bravery to cross his legs, as though Gilbert was about to give a lecture. 

“You went to America twice in the past two years, once happened to be during the time of Matthew Williams kidnapping, and then again during the timeframe of when Feliciano was kidnapped. You were in the same city as Matthew... Matthew was found in McArthur High School, an area just outside of Washington DC.”

“I never knew Matthew.” 

“Well… We have security footage of you at a gas station a block away from McArthur High School. Care to explain that?” 

“That was over a year ago, what am I supposed to remember? Perhaps I went past to get gas— “ 

“No, you bought food, no gas. Fuck, you even walked away!” Gilbert hissed, “Did you run out of food at the school, hm?” For once, Yao was silent, and Gilbert started to pace in front of Yao’s desk, “I bet you knew Matthew… You knew Matthew and Francis from years ago… I bet that’s where you got those photos, you were sure you remove your name from the back of the photos, and cut out your face… I still wonder why you sent us those photos, I think you wanted to make fun of us, and rub salt into the wound, remind us that we took Ivan away from you and this is the punishment…” 

“As I said, you have no proof,” Yao replied, “You’re wasting time.” 

“Ehh, a lot of that is up to interpretation, I guess…” Gilbert admitted, “but it is awfully coincidental that Canadian and Russian police believe that it was you who bailed Ivan out of prison every single time he has been arrested. You also attended his trials, we have those records too. You were close to Ivan, weren’t you? Did he make you join MI5 to have a set of eyes on us?” 

“You can’t prove anything!” Yao scoffed, a clear sign of his insecurity: telling Gilbert that he was on the right track. 

“You weren’t happy to hear about Ivan’s death, and so you continued with his plans to terrorise London and masked it as a plot in his honour! Matthew warned Arthur about you, he said that there was a plan for London, and it had something to do with MI5… You even dragged your family into this, your sister and your son—“ 

“I want a lawyer—“ 

“I don’t give a fuck!” Gilbert snapped, slamming his hands down on the desk, “You had all the means and the tie to pull off such a plan. You studied chemistry for fucks sake! You know how bombs work and what gases do to people! Heh… I bet it was your bomb that killed Ivan…”   
Yao’s eyes widened as his lips tightened, however, Gilbert did not to hear Yao’s pathetic protest: he could see it in Yao’s eyes…   
Now, to move onto something else… “You ride bikes, don’t you? Store clerks recognised your sister, and said that she bought two—“ 

“You can’t prove anything!” Yao snapped, holding on tightly to the arms of his seat, as though holding on for dear life. 

“Kiku did. Kiku also provided recordings of your voice,” Gilbert explained, “recordings of which we showed to Vash Zwingli, of which he confirmed to be the same voice of the person who hired him to kidnap Elizabeta… You tried to have my wife kidnapped, or attempted to be, to throw me off. But lucky for me: she doesn’t take any bullshit.” 

Gilberts eyes narrowed when Yao did not offer any resistance, the man just sat still in his chair with a look of shock frozen on his face, watching his plan fall apart. 

“You know where he lived, and you also know where I live,” Gilbert pointed out, “Speaking of addresses, Ludwig is on his way to the apartment where you’ve been keeping Feliciano… And he is going to kill everyone in between him and Feliciano, no matter who they are, or how old they are…” Yao’s eyes widened with terror as the horrifying situation played out in his head. 

Gilbert’s plan had worked. Yao believes that Ludwig is an unstable mess, because Ludwig had made sure that Yao saw his outburst.

“Think about who is there right now, and imagine Ludwig getting his revenge. And you know what, Arthur and I don’t think we have the patience to stop him… You’ve made three highly skilled agents very, very angry…” 

“But… my…”   
Gilbert frowned, being able to perfectly imagine who Yao was thinking about, and as the man’s anxiety grew, Gilbert knew that he had pulled on the right emotional string: His family.

“Do the right thing, Yao. Tell us where the bombs are, and I will call of Ludwig’s attack, if it isn’t too late,” Gilbert explained before pulling his hand out of his pocket, revealing a set of handcuffs. “Don’t make this diff—“ 

Gilbert was cut off when a heavy kick to the stomach sent Gilbert falling against a nearby desk and gasping for breath. 

“DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH ME!!” Yao snapped as he quickly slid open his desk drawer, pulling out a black handgun. Instinctually, Gilbert leapt over the desk and turned it over, using the wooden surface as a shield as Yao fired his first two shots, shooting two holes right through the wood, one of which barely missed Gilberts shoulder. Gilbert could hear Yao’s hyperventilating, giving Gilbert the indication that Yao was experiencing a panic-attacked, Yao was shooting on instinct and Gilbert couldn’t risk losing now.


	12. Chapter 12

“Yao, don’t do this!! You’re only making it harder!!” Gilbert yelled, closing his eyes as he pressed his back against the turned over desk, trying to control his breathing. He sighed as he tried to listen to Yao’s panicked breathing, trying to pinpoint where he could be.

This would be so much easier if Kiku were here… Gilbert hasn’t even had time to sit down and grasp the reality of the situation. His friend is dead, his work partner, his colleague, his friend. And he didn’t die nicely either, it was slow, prolonged by torture and his refusal to give in to his attackers demands. He was brave and died because of it. 

If he were here right now, Yao would be in handcuffs and this entire mess would be over… 

Gilbert struggled to keep himself together, his shoulders trembled as he tried to hold back tears, apologising to Kiku in his mind again and again… No matter how many times Gilbert tried to tell himself that it wasn’t his fault, or that there was no way they could have known that was going to happen; Gilbert found a way to blame himself. Kiku was attacked because the kidnappers, or rather: Yao and his sister, Mei, believed that Kiku had the case file that could bring them down. Kiku would have remained silent during his whole torture session, refusing to tell them where the case file was or what information he had against them… All while Gilbert had no clue that the threat was realer than either of them expected.  
While he knew that he was going to regret it for the rest of his life, he knew that Kiku wouldn’t want him to give up now, that he must be brave and bring his killers to justice, rescue Feliciano and save the city! 

“Doing this isn’t helping anybody, Yao!!” Gilbert explained loudly. 

“SHUT UP!” Yao snapped.  
Perhaps talking about his family was not a wise idea, but then again; how was Yao going to understand the weight of the situation!? 

“I don’t want to do this, but if you don’t give yourself in, Ludwig is going to attack!!” Gilbert explained. 

“You monster! You have the power to stop Ludwig’s attack, yet; you’re here threatening me!” Yao snapped. 

“You’ve given me no other option!” Gilbert pointed out, “Just let me cuff you and tell me where the bombs are; then I will tell the squad in to control Ludwig: it’s not that hard!! THNIK RATIONALLY!! The longer you prolong this, the more danger they’re in! I don’t know where Ludwig is right now, but he’s going to start soon, and I can’t stop him until you give me what I need!”

“FUCK YOU!!” Yao snapped, “I’ll kill him!! I… I need to go!!”  
Gilbert’s eyes opened and he realised that Yao started moving, and he could see that Yao was trying to move towards the elevator. Yao was still pointing his gun at Gilbert as he moved back towards the elevator. 

“YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!” Gilbert snapped as he rose from his place behind the desk, running past the other desks in an effort to block Yao before he could get to the elevator. Yao shot at Gilbert as he ran, firing three shots that cracked the thick glass of the windows that made the wall, looking out to the beautiful sky of London. Gilbert changed direction and rushed at Yao, determined to get the gun out his hands and end the madness. 

“JUST STOP!!” Yao screamed, struggling to aim as he dodged Gilbert’s attack, his hands trembling with fear and adrenaline, “LET ME SAVE THEM!!!” Yao cried as he shot again, hitting Gilbert perfectly in the chest… Gilbert’s eyes widened as he drew out a deep breath as he stumbled back, feeling the shock and the adrenaline, however, the lack of blood made Yao frown, until Gilbert straightened his back and flashed a devilish smile. 

“I came prepared…” Gilbert chuckled as he tugged on the corner of his white business shirt and black tie, far down enough to reveal the dark lining of a bullet proof vest. 

Yao frowned before Gilbert resumed his assault, taking advantage of Yao’s disappointment to grab him by the arm and snap the handcuffs around one wrist. In a panic, Yao kicked him in the stomach and pushing him back. But Gilbert was done with playing fairly, he dashed back into Yao and elbowed him in the chest, before throwing him back against a desk, and pressing him down. Yao growled as he pressed the gun against the soft section of skin under his chin, and Gilbert prayed that his assumption was correct when Yao pulled the trigger. 

And Gilbert breathed a loud sigh of relief when the noise of an empty ‘click’ filled the air. He was honestly terrified that he counted the bullets wrong, and Yao still had one left, but Gilberts gamble had paid off. 

“DO THE RIGHT THING YAO!” Gilbert growled as he hovered over Yao, pleading to him, “Think of your son, think of Leon, he doesn’t have much time left! He’s going to die if you don’t cooperate! You can still save him!”  
Gilbert was relieved to see that his words finally sunk in as Yao’s eyes widened and his lips trembled, realising the reality of the situation; and realising that there was nothing he could do to escape it.  
Yao may have been caught, but he can still give his son a chance… 

“Fine… Only if you promise that he will get leniency…” Yao whispered. 

“Are you really in a position to bargain with me?” Gilbert asked as he swatted the gun out of Yao’s hand, and quickly snapped the remaining cuff around hi free wrist. “But… I will try. Tell me where the bombs are, and a squad will come in and protect him from Ludwig, if we’re not too late.” 

“Bastard, using the child as bait.” 

“You have left me with no other option, Yao,” Gilbert replied. 

Yao gritted his teeth, before accepting the reality as it was. Swallowing his pride, Yao closed his eyes and tightened his hands into fists, completely submitting, despite how hard it was. He knew that he had to give up to save what he has left while he can… 

It had taken some time, but Yao finally realised that there was no running away from this, he can’t kill Gilbert and make it to his family in time, it’s impossible. Now he has to accept the reality and accept the consequences of his actions. He is still a logical man. 

“Fine… I’ll tell you…” 

\------ 

Ludwig’s bike screeched to a halt, and Ludwig straightened his back and removed his helmet as he looked at the slab of concrete excuse for a building that stood across the road from him. It looked like the perfect place for a hide-out, dirty, run down, suspicious… It was almost too perfect, Ludwig couldn’t help but wonder whether Oz had set him up. Ludwig hid his motorcycle beside the building, not expecting it to not be stolen while he’s gone, but he doesn’t care: if Feliciano is in this building, nothing matters. Ludwig checked his handgun, relieved to see that it still had a good amount of bullets left in his pockets as well. Depending on how the people inside react, he may not need to use all of them. 

Gilbert told him that two more people are involved… So as far as he knows, he has two targets. Yao would have bought this apartment specifically for holding Feliciano, so there could be a chance that no one is in there.  
Ludwig peered out from beside the building and checked the street, rather surprised to see that police hadn’t flooded the street yet. Perhaps Gilbert is taking longer to get a confession out of Yao than he first thought. No matter. Ludwig told Gilbert that he was going to storm the building and get Feliciano with or without backup. 

The aim of the plan was to make Yao believe that Ludwig was rouge and dangerous, and that he was going to merciless hunt down anyone who stood in the way of getting Feliciano. While it was the plan, it was true according to Ludwig.  
He is not going to show any mercy. 

He ran into the apartment complex and ran up the stairs, determined to reach the unit that Oz instructed. Nothing mattered to the German anymore, he needed to see Feliciano again, see his smile, hear his voice and feel his warmth. The thought of rescuing him consumed Ludwig and nothing was going to stop him as he kicked open the door to Apartment 14 and ran in with his gun in his hands. 

Naturally, the noise from Ludwig’s entrance caused a commotion, and Ludwig barely made it through the living area someone entered the hallway and a couple of shots were fired, causing Ludwig to duck behind a couch for cover. 

“GIVE HIM BACK AND NO ONE WILL GET HURT!!” Ludwig roared, and as expected, his words fell upon death ears, and he could hear the woman walking into the living area, determined to finish Ludwig off.  
This was obviously Mei, Yao’s sister, she is the last line of defence before Feliciano, and Ludwig had no problems with taking her out. He’ll worry about everything else later. Ludwig lifted his head over the couch to see where she was only, for her to see where he was as well, and fire another shot at him as she screamed in a foreign language, obviously to someone else in the apartment.  
Not wanting to face two people at once, Ludwig fired a shot and got her in the stomach. But even then, she wasn’t done, as Ludwig jumped over the couch she tried to shoot again. Barely missing him, even Ludwig was scared that he had been shot. But he wasn’t done with her yet, even though she is wounded, she is still obviously a threat. 

“I warned you,” Ludwig grumbled as he kicked the gun out of his hands, sending it flying across the room as she screamed in pain. Not wanting to waste any more time, Ludwig silenced her with another gun shot, not wanting to hear her begging: he cannot make this personal, he is on a mission, and getting Feliciano back is worth anything. 

Ludwig already regretted what he just did, despite his hard exterior, but he refused to accept it as he marched further into the house, shaking from the adrenaline. He could hear more noise coming from one of the bedrooms, and so Ludwig investigated and froze with what he found. 

The entire bedroom had been transformed into a low-budget hospital and Feliciano was the unlucky patient. He laid motionless in a bed in the centre of the room, he looked weak and defeated, a shell of his usual bright and bubbly self, the Feliciano that Ludwig had fallen in love with. Feliciano was connected to an IV drip by his wrist, and to another machine by two little tubes in his nostrils. The sight broke Ludwig’s heart, but the figure who stood beside Feliciano’s bed wearing a surgical mask snapped Ludwig back into reality, and he raised his weapon. 

“DON’T SHOOT!! HE’LL DIE WITHOUT ME!!” The young man screamed, raising his hands in submission, “PLEASE! I’M HELPING HIM!!” 

Ludwig was almost angry enough to ignore him, however, he could not bring himself to pull the trigger… he lowered his gun and marched towards the shorter man, fighting every urge he had to punch him within an inch of his life. This must be Leon, Yao’s son, and the final member of the trio. “What did you do to him?” 

“I’m keeping him alive!” The young man whimpered, looking at Ludwig with his wide, chocolate brown eyes. “I need to stay by his side an administer the cure when he needs it! Just please don’t shoot me!” 

Ludwig frowned as he looked down at Feliciano, relived to see his chest rise and fall with every soft breath, “Fine, but if he dies; you do too.” 

“Fine,” The young man replied, as he turned his back to Ludwig to look at the table that sat beside the bed, which was crowded with medical equipment. “So… You caught my dad…?” 

“Yes. And he’s going to pay for this, and so are you,” Ludwig replied coldly as he walked to the other side of the bed, watching Feliciano, as though he was sceptical that this was real, however, the aching beating of his heart confirmed otherwise... It’s him… Ludwig could not stop staring at the Italians face, almost becoming overwhelmed, all the work that Ludwig had out into finding him was worth it: and he was never going to lose Feliciano again, over his dead body… Ludwig reached for Feliciano’s hand, feeling his soft skin, relieved to still feel warmth radiate from him, reassuring Ludwig that everything was going to be ok. 

Ludwig sighed as he heard people moving in through the door to the apartment, he could hear them looking over Mei’s body, and listened to their footsteps as they travelled further into the apartment. Finally, the door to the bedroom opened again, revealing the state of the room to outside eyes, it was Arthur who found them, dressed in a black-protective suit, carrying a large weapon. 

The Englishman’s bright green eyes met with Ludwig’s, an Arthur’s expression softened, as he pressed a button on the radio that rested on his shoulder, speaking to whoever was on the other side. “We’ve found them. It’s over.” 

\----- 

Arthur stared down at Alfred with wide eyes, he knew that he should be with Feliciano and the others right now, but he just couldn’t pull himself away from Alfred’s side. He knew that they would understand why. 

Arthur found himself staring at Alfred’s hand, seeing the Americans fingers intertwined with his own. Arthur knew that the cure process started last night, and Alfred should wake up soon, but even with all of this: Arthur still worried. He blushed as he thought about just how much he was worrying about Alfred. But then again... Arthur has grown attached. He lost Alfred once, and he was faced with the threat of losing him again, but for good this time… 

Arthur sighed as he adjusted himself in his chair, bringing himself closer to Alfred’s bed, close enough to rest his head against the mattress, and close enough to feel the warmth radiate from Alfred’s body.  
Arthur was tired enough to close his eyes, and knew that he would if he stayed like this for much longer. He nuzzled his face into Alfred’s hand, being sure to plant a soft kiss on the Americans hand before resting on it. Despite all that Alfred had been through, his skin was so soft, Arthur melted to the touch, and wanted nothing more than for him to wake up and make his last worry disappear. 

Arthur couldn’t understand it, he had become so attached to Alfred. He never thought that he’d spend hours sitting by a man’s bedside, waiting nervously for him to wake up. But then again, Alfred and Arthur’s history is not so simple… 

Arthur almost dreaded what was destined to come, but it was a reality that he could not ignore: Alfred will have to return home. Before he will know it, the Atlantic Ocean will be between them. Arthur dreaded it, he knew that long distance relationships are harder, it will be hard… But… If Alfred and Arthur are dedicated enough, perhaps it will work. 

Wow…. Last year, Arthur was convinced that he would never find love, that his emotional barrier would never be broken through, but Alfred broke through it, and showed Arthur that it’s ok to trust people again… That he isn’t some kind of workaholic, unlovable grump… Even looking at Alfred made the Englishman’s heart flutter, in a way that it hadn’t since he was a teenager. It was odd for him, but he liked it. He wanted to call it love… But he was sure that he was far from admitting it to himself, let alone Alfred. But the idea floated around, and it was welcome, Arthur would only have to wait for the right time to accept it. 

Suddenly, Arthur felt something squeeze his hand and his eyes opened wide, astonished to see that Alfred had squeezed his hand. Arthur sat up, before transferring onto the bed, sitting by Alfred as he held on tightly to the Americans hand, relieved to see Alfred’s face tighten and squeeze Arthurs hand again. 

“Alfred…” Arthur murmured, leaning in closer to look at Alfred’s face, wanting to see any movement he made, looking for anything to tell Arthur that he was waking up, that the cure was working. “Alfred… Please…” 

“Mhh…” Alfred muttered, his voice sounding disorientated and dry. 

“It’s ok… Take your time,” Arthur whispered as he held on tightly to Alfred’s hand, trying his best to hide the extent of his relief as he watched Alfred frown and tilt his head slightly. “Welcome back…” 

Alfred eyes finally opened, and instantly locked with Arthurs. Alfred’s eyes told how disorientated and sleepy he felt, he even looked cute as he struggled to keep his eyes open against the light of the room. Eventually Alfred slowly came too, struggling against his sleep, and probably struggling to understand where he is now. Arthur watched with a wide smile on his face as Alfred kept up the fight and eventually kept his eyes open long enough to stare at Arthur, and a small smile curved the Americans lips. 

Alfred was ok, and Arthur couldn’t be any more relieved… 

\---- 

Slowly, but within the hour, Alfred had regained his ability to move, and after drinking water, he slowly regained the ability to talk. The fast recovery was expected, considering his minimal exposure, however, Alfred was extremely lucky. 

Ludwig was waiting patiently by Feliciano’s bed, having not moved from the Italians side since he found him… At the news of Alfred regaining consciousness, Ludwig hoped for the best for Feliciano. However, despite the time that had passed, Feliciano hasn’t woken up yet. 

Doctors are saying that the cure Leon was giving Feliciano was perfect, genius even… Now Ludwig just had to wait for it to work its magic on Feliciano. He held on tightly to Feliciano’s hand, waiting for him to react. 

“How’s he doing?” A voice asked as the door to Feliciano’s room opened. Ludwig looked up from Feliciano to see Arthur wheeling Alfred into the room, as the American sat in a wheelchair, dressed in a blue hospital gown. Alfred looked as though he had just gotten out of bed after a long sleep, it made a lot of sense. 

“He’s going to be ok…” Ludwig answered, “We just need him to wake up…” 

“He will wake up soon, I’m sure of it. It took Alfred a little while to get there,” Arthur explained, “He squeezed my hand first, so Feliciano should nearly be there.” 

“How are you feeling?” Ludwig asked Alfred as Arthur wheeled him to sit beside Feliciano’s bed. Alfred smiled as he took Arthur’s hand and wore a grateful smile. 

“Better, I’m still a bit tired. I should be good to walk around soon,” Alfred explained. 

“We have heard more from the doctors, regarding the other patients, they’re beginning to wake up, and they’re conditions are improving. Some have even been released.” Arthur explained, “The gas is no longer an issue, the cure is brilliant. And the bombs are dismantled and neutralised.” 

“Good…” Ludwig murmured as he brought his attention back to Feliciano. All of these good things have happened, now Feliciano just has to wake up, and everything will be perfect. “I am going to make them pay for what they did to him…” 

“Don’t worry, Leon and Yao are in custody. There is no doubt that Yao will go to prison, but Leon… He’s difficult.” 

“Why?” Ludwig asked. 

“He’s sixteen…” Arthur answered, “He’s cooperating with the police…”

Alfred frowned as he watched Ludwig’s expression change, before returning to his stern frown. Alfred knew what Ludwig was thinking of, or rather: who he was thinking about, before Ludwig’s anger masked his ability to rationalise and accept the possibility of leniency for Leon. 

“As soon as Feliciano can, we are going back to America and see what we can do,” Ludwig explained, “He assisted in the kidnapping and torture of a CIA agent, there has to be something we can do.” 

“But he’s still as child, and Yao influenced him,” Arthur pointed out, “He was only following his father.” 

“I guess. Urh. We’ll sort this out when we return home,” Ludwig replied, blatantly rejecting Arthurs point. 

“Um… About that…” Alfred muttered, “About going back to America…” 

“What…?” Arthur gasped, looking down at Alfred with wide eyes as Alfred smiled sweetly. 

“I…” Alfred murmured, his anxiety growing under the intensity of Ludwig’s stare, “I’m not ready to say goodbye… and… I don’t have much waiting for me in America after Matt died. I really like London, and I want to try my best to make it work with Arthur, and if it means packing my bags and moving over here, then I’ll do it.” 

“Would you want to work for MI5?” Ludwig asked, “Or would you find a new job?” 

“I wouldn’t mind working for MI5, only if that’s possible,” Alfred pointed out. 

“Wha-“ Ludwig gasped, quickly looking down at Feliciano when he felt the Italian squeeze his hand, shocked to see that the sweet Italian was already staring at him, nodding.  
“Feli! GOD!” Ludwig crumbled as he bent over to lightly hold onto Feliciano trembling from how hard he was trying to not break. But judging by the smile on Feliciano’s face, he could see exactly what Ludwig was feeling. “You’re back! You’re back!!”  
Arthur smiled warmly as he watched Ludwig’s shoulders tremble as he rested his head by Feliciano’s trying hard to not smother the Italian. 

“I missed you too, Ludwig…” Feliciano’s muffled voice said. 

\----- 

Deciding to give Ludwig and Feliciano their privacy, Arthur wheeled Alfred back to his room, unable to control his blushing the entire time. Arthur almost couldn’t believe that Alfred wanted to move to London, for him! He didn’t imagine this was how it would turn out. 

As soon as he and Alfred were alone, Arthur closed the door and turned back to look at Alfred, seeing that the American was already smiling at him from his wheelchair, even the colour had started to return to Alfred’s face. 

“About what you said back there, are you serious?” Arthur asked as he walked towards Alfred. 

“Well, I, ugh… If you think it’s too soon, I can take it back…” Alfred muttered. 

“No, you don’t have to, I was happy to hear it,” Arthur admitted as he leaned forward and supported himself on the arms of Alfred’s wheelchair, leaning forward to be at eye level with Alfred. “I worried about how we would go doing long distance.” 

“Heh….” Alfred chuckled, smiling widely up at Arthur, a red hue returning to his face, “I lost you once, and I don’t want to lose you again… I want… I want to do everything with you, go on dates, have dinners, watch movies, everything… You make me happier than I’ve been in ages, and I’m not gonna let the damn Atlantic stop me.” 

“Alfred… But this is your job, even if you end up working with MI5, would you be ok with that?” Arthur asked. 

“I’ll deal with it. As I said, I don’t have much waiting for me in DC ever since I lost Matt. I’m ready to start a new life with you as a priority—if you’re cool with that,” Alfred muttered. “Like, we haven’t been dating that long, but I really want to take this seriously. I’ve never been so sure of anything before.” 

“Good…” Arthur chuckled, watching with intrigue as Alfred tilted his head to match with Arthur, quickly giving in to his urge for a kiss, Arthur leaned down enough so his lips pressed against Alfred’s. “Oh,” Arthur muttered as he pulled himself from Alfred’s lips, “but then you’d have to sort out where you’ll live, visas, and oh Lord, you’ll need to learn how to drive and—“ Arthur was interrupted when Alfred pulled on Arthur’s tie, returning him to their kiss, where Alfred refused to let him go. 

\------ 

“He’s too young for prison…” Gilbert sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, sighing from the tediousness of the situation. It has been over a week since Leon was placed in custody, awaiting the determination of his fate. Alfred had returned to work within a couple of days of waking up, determined to find a place within MI5, since Feliciano promised that he would try his best to organise a transfer, although the process could take a couple of months. Ludwig, Feliciano and Alfred were still in London, waiting for Feliciano to recover enough to board a plane, he was going through an intense rehabilitation, with Ludwig only parting from his side in order to oversee Leon’s processing. The German was determined to give the teenager a terrible time, despite how hard Arthur protested. 

And Ludwig’s grudge towards Leon could still be seen, “He’s still dangerous, and the CIA want to see something done against him,” Ludwig pointed out. 

“But, he’s still a child…” Arthur grumbled, sighing when his statement went unnoticed. 

“He didn’t know any better…” Alfred sighed. 

Arthur glanced to his right to look through the window into the interrogation room, watching the teenager sit nervously, playing with his fingers. Arthur couldn’t help but sigh, the doctors were hailing this boy as a medical genius, praising him for being able to create a cure to the poisonous gas that his father created, no doubt with the help of Ivan Braginski. This boy had a lot of potential, it was a shame that he was led down this path.  
Leon cooperated greatly with the police, and was willing to answer any question they asked, going into depth about his past, and the entire plot to kidnap Feliciano.  
It turns out that he was involved in Matthews kidnapping too. 

He was born in Hong Kong, and raised by his father and aunt, travelling around the world with his god-father, Ivan, and another group of criminals, before he learned that his father had stolen the identity of the British citizen, and managed to get into MI5. However, it was the story before this event that was very interesting.  
Ivan encouraged him to study hard, and before he knew it, Leon had found a gift with chemistry and medicine. Ivan provided excellent guidance for Leon in terms of his studies, it turns out that the madman was fantastic with children. Eventually, Leon went to America with his father and aunt, to visit Ivan, and that’s when he saw Matthew sitting alone in a room, staring at the screen blankly; when he was supposed to be developing a virus to take down the CIA. He didn’t know much about the guy, he hadn’t been told anything about what was going on in America. That was when the plan to bomb London with gas was brought into action, Ivan and Yao have been planning it for years, and now was finally the time to put their plan into action, and they asked Leon to help them with the gas and developing a cure. Naturally, Leon did what he was told and did all he could to impress his father and God-father.  
And now that the plan has crumbled, his aunt was dead and his father awaiting trial, Leon saw no hope for his future. 

“I say that we reform him,” Arthur stated, “he’s just like Matthew, there’s too much potential to throw away.” 

“Don’t you dare compare him to Matthew, Matthew didn’t kidnap or torture anyone!” Ludwig snapped. 

“Don’t ignore the facts! You’re just upset that Feliciano forgives him, and you can’t!!” Arthur snapped. 

“Hey, both of you, calm down!” Gilbert snapped. 

“He is not only a child, but a child with potential. Imagine what wonders he could do with his knowledge, we just need to set him on the right path. You gave Matthew that chance, why won’t we give it to him?” 

“Look… He has cooperated so far…” Gilbert pointed out, “but he hasn’t given us much of an idea of what he is capable of, including in terms of reformation. He grew up influenced by these people… It’s going to be difficult, Arthur…” 

“Then leave him to me,” Arthur spat, frowning with determination, he was not going to let this child’s future go to waste, in Leon; Arthur saw Matthew, and so he was not going to let this boy down, in honour of Matthew. “I will look after him and guide him through reformation, he will be my responsibility.” 

Alfred watched Arthur argue his case, and found himself falling more and more for the Englishman’s stubbornness and bravery, but he knew that he could help him. He just needs to prove that Leon is capable of reformation.  
Alfred turned around and left the viewing room, making sure that he stole everyone’s attention as he did it, Alfred quickly swapped rooms and causally walked into the interrogation room with Leon, well aware that the other agents were watching him through the double-sided glass as he sat at the table, across from he teenager. 

“Hey,” Alfred said as he sat casually, smiling at Leon. Unsurprisingly, Leon appeared nervous, and not even Alfred could hear his reply. Alfred leaned forward, catching Leon’s full attention as the American stared at him with wide and hopeful eyes. “You know, I knew someone like you. He was my best friend.” 

That statement made the teenager frown, “What do you mean?” 

Alfred smiled sweetly, doing all he could to ease the teenager’s anxiety. “His dad was a bad guy, and he did bad things; but my friend loved him so much: he did some bad things… He was sixteen when he was taken into custody, and put into a reformation program. After the program, I met him and we became best friends. Man, he was my world, my brother, and… the best person I’ll ever know. He was brave, strong, and despite his past: he did all he could to protect others. True, it got hard sometimes… But he stayed strong and knew that he could reverse all of the bad he did through doing good things. I’ll never have another friend like him. He was in the exact same position as you are now. He was scared, he was angry and didn’t know what was going to happen to him… But, he knew that he was going to take any opportunity he could to make things right again, and he knew that he was going to make up for the mistakes he made. And I know that you’re capable of doing that too.” 

“Who was he?” Leon asked, Alfred’s story had caught the teenagers attention, his eyes widening as he imagined the possibilities before him now, and what kind of person Alfred’s friend was. 

Alfred smiled, knowing that everyone on the other side of the glass was watching him, and understood what he was doing. And most importantly: seeing that it was working. 

“His name was Matthew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it! Comments are deeply appreciated, so please do not be shy!!


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